The Beginning of the End
by Jilykindom3027
Summary: "Do you think you'll ever feel anything for me?" Juvia asked softly, and despite the music and noises from the club, her voice was evident in the darkness. "I-" Gray came to answer but their friend, Natsu, arrived and hit him on the back. Juvia and Gray were best friends. AU real life story.
1. Chapter 1

**hey! this time It is my personal experience combined with Juvia and Gray. I truely hope you like it!**

 **I still don't own fairy tail but Hiro Mashima does.**

 **summary: Juvia and Gray are best friend but she falls in love with him and Gray don't want her. what would happen if Juvia decided it is enough?**

 **A\U**

* * *

 **T** **he end of** **the** **beginning**

 **i.**

The air stood still. The heavy moisture and noises from the club behind her shook the whole area and made the night substantial. It was late at night, or early morning depending on how you looked at it. Juvia sat on one of the stone steps in the dark driveway, holding the courage to do what she knew she had to do a long time ago. Her blue dress stuck to her body and little drops of sweat drifted on her skin, and the moisture strengthens the fact that she was after extended physical activity. Juvia gathered her blue hair into a clumsy ball at the top of her head.  
Juvia didn't mind the fact that she must look awful or that she smelled of cigarettes that she smoked and the alcohol she drank in the club, Juvia wouldn't try to do the hardest thing she ever thought she would do. Juvia looked at the street with a deadly determination stare but her mouth was pursed and closed as if her lips had sewn together, her expression hinting that she wanted to cry but didn't allow herself this content.

The cleared throat behind her didn't surprise her. Juvia knew Gray would come with the typical cigarette in his hand, his usual cleared throat and his constant warmth beside her. Gray settled down beside her on her little stone step. This time, unlike the others, Juvia didn't give him a dazzling smile, or her eyes glowed with happiness at seeing him. Juvia felt the courage slip away from her, and she clutched at it harder. Juvia wanted to put her head on his shoulder and forget why she sent him the message, but she couldn't. It's time to finish it. This time compared to the others, Gray began to talk first because he saw that her lips were sealed together.

"Why are you here? everyone is dancing inside" He inhaled more of the addictive stuff.

"I have to stop talking to you," she said in a sharp, harsh voice.

Gray was shocked.

" **what?** "

He gasped, forgetting the cigarette in his hand, and inhaling smoke made him choke a little.  
He coughed, and she waited patiently. This time she didn't want to help him, Juvia stayed where she was. Gray breathed again after a few seconds and looked at her with his dark black eyes. Her blue ones met his.  
Juvia felt her decision slip away from her. She got up and walked away from him as much as possible but still within earshot. Juvia puts her back to him. She did not finish yet. She would stop and then it would be over.

"I still feel something for you. I can't continue to be your friend. It's too complicated, every time I think I'm overcoming my feeling for you, The feelings come back to me overwhelming me every time."  
Juvia turned to him. The tears rose in her eyes, her body trembling but her face showed determination.

"Why now?" Gray asked, rising, throwing away his cigarette and cornering her.  
She put out her hand and motioned him not to come closer. He stopped in confusion.

"out of the blue, you don't want to talk to me?" Gray says but Juvia cuts him short.

"It's not sudden," Juvia said, her voice sounding neutral but her feelings continued to envelop her, wave after wave of emotions. "For months I have been trying to stop talking to you, for months I've been telling myself I can't go on like this."

Gray looked miserable. "Is it because I wasn't in touch with you?" He asks.

She didn't know how he could think that. Juvia realized he was busy. She understood him too well, and that's why it hurts.

"No, really not, but if you told me you didn't want to be in touch with me I'd stop, I've asked you many times." She choked on emotion in mid-sentence.

Recognition looked on his face. "That's why every time we met you asked that?"

Juvia nodded, and the tears ran down her face, but she continued to speak in a smooth voice."I didn't succeed on my own. I wanted confirmation from you. But you didn't give me that, so I stayed here, hurting myself every time by talking about dating with other people, about relationships that I don't have and I know my feelings for you are preventing me from something real."

Gray knew everything, Juvia always laughed and joked that it was because she wasn't ready for a serious relationship, that she was too young for a serious relationship, but she lied to him, to everyone and especially to herself.  
Her body betrayed her, and Juvia took a step closer to him.  
Gray took the access to get close too.

"I thought you stopped liking me," he whispered. Gray looked at her with eyes full of emotions she couldn't place. He took another step closer.

"I wanted to tell you that I was cutting off ties and explaining that so you wouldn't hurt." She said abruptly. Juvia felt the conversation was out of her control. She wanted to move from there to return to the club, to wait for their friends to finish and they could go home, and there she would fall apart and cry for hours until the pains in her chest stopped. But something told her not to move, to wait a little longer.  
Juvia waited for him to say something, maybe Gray would tell her to go or that he wanted her, but he didn't seem to have decided himself yet.

"Do you think you'll ever feel anything to me?" She asked softly, and despite the music and noises from the club, her voice was evident in the black night.

"I-" Gray came to continue but their friend, Natsu, arrived and hit him on the back. He could hardly stand, and every few seconds he lost his balance "Disturbing?" He said in a voice full of alcohol.

She began to say yes, very disturbing. But she saw Gray shake his head. She stopped the fresh tears from slipping out of her eyes. "Okay ... I'm going back."  
She runs to the entrance of the club and searches for her best friends to go home.

 **It was their end.**

* * *

A.N soo how it was? I hope you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N second chapter. It's going to be flashbacks for a while.**  
 **Still, don't own fairy tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

 **ii.**

 **The Beginning**

Some will say that she is friendly and energetic, loves people around her, someone who always happy.  
Those who know her will say she is joyful and caring. Bold and without any reserves.  
Those who know her honestly will say she is a girl with a gold heart and a lack of tact.  
But they still don't know her. She knew who she was.  
She is hungry for attention, for love, for embraces, and for genuine friendship.  
She often thought they didn't need her. They didn't care about her. She always wanted to be alone, with her stories or the books she read. She liked to swallow into the imaginary world that everything was absolute, safe and not real. She is sad most of the time she can't live in the imagination.

She was always looked for a reason to smile even if it was false because suffering and pain are what you think of them and if you don't think of them. They don't matter, and they don't touch you, or at least that's how she felt until she met him.

The start was very dull. Gray didn't change anything inside her the first time they met. They barely talked, their friends chatted about the movie they just saw and agreed to go to a local coffee shop. They drank the coffee. They talked about life and films. She was surprised that these two new men who entered her world with such a surprise love Harry Potter. Her non-existent affection for them until that moment had first appeared. She saw them in an entirely different light. She began to enjoy their company.

A week after the start she made a rendezvous at her home, not something big just a few close friends. The friend that bring them together, Loki, asked if they could come.

"Of course," she replied, "the more, the better."

Inside she knew that even if he had not asked she would have asked him to invite them. The party passed successfully. Drinking games with Jangle Speed and one cigarette that changed everything. They talked about an origin, what they were doing in life and they made her laugh, made her feel more joyous than she had been for a long time.

"Do you know what?" She said, and a drunken smile of drunkenness spread on her face.  
"I love you," she said it because she knew it was true, she just didn't know how right it would be for one of them within a few months.

They loved her back, in the same platonic way she loved them. They met after this evening several times she heard stories and shared in hers, and their friendship deepened. One time she asked them in her tactlessness, because as they say curiosity killed the cat. She hated comparing herself to a cat, but it was true. This question was ultimately her big downfall.

"Why are you in touch with me?" She asked in surprise after several times in a row they met.

Gray replied, "We have a bond" and Natsu said, "I do not know there's a click here." She was happy since she, too, felt the click and the bond.

It was important. Especially to Juvia because that period was not simple. Her best friend, Lucy, left for her big trip in the west and she felt alone, again. They were important. They were equally important until Gray became more meaningful. He entered her heart and refused to leave, without realizing what had happened she was already in love with him. And it destroyed everything.

* * *

 **iii.**

 **lovers**

By the time he arrived, she had no one, not really.

The first was when she was hurt and damaged, he entered her heart and settled in her soul, destroying her from the inside even more. The second was her best friend. He didn't look at her that way. He loved someone else. She helped him and cried because he found his one. Juvia was happy for him. He didn't know that he had hurt her at the time, so her pain didn't bother her, she wanted him to be happy.  
The third was one before him. He was that Juvia broke his heart because he loved her and Juvia were afraid to love didn't believe that anyone who didn't know her, could admire her.

Gray was the last one to come in without desiring to go out no matter how much she tried. It's like Cancer in the heart. It grows cells and lives inside of her body. He wouldn't go until she removed it. But can she extract herself? How can she kill a vital and significant part of her body? She has to explain to herself again and again why it should happen. She needs to understand how important it is.  
Because to get him out is to get rid of the disease but to take it out. Is meaning that Juvia needs to kill a part of herself with her own hands.  
So she asked herself what is more necessary Gray, or she is? Cancer or health? Love or peace of mind? There is no absolute answer. It's impossible to know what each one would do. Each has its own choice. Juvia had been thinking about it for months, crying again and again. She broke her heart over and over, and the grief was intolerable.

She wondered if she could take it out if she could reach her. Into her body and take out a living, breathing and kicking creature. She knew there was no way it would happen. She couldn't do it. Even the thought of it is too painful, too piercing, too selfish, but if she can't-do it how can she move on? How can she start over with someone new?  
In spite of everything, the feeling was pleasant and enjoyable. Juvia thought She doesn't want any new love. Or someone new. She knew she had to pull herself apart and pull him out, but the Cancer was still in her heart.

* * *

 **iv.**

 **The magic of thought**

Juvia was thrilled.  
'They're back' The voice in her head screamed happily. It was a week since she had last seen them. They were in the Barcelona with their friend. She tried not to think about it, three of her best friends are in the abroad. She felt alone. Her best friend, Lucy, barely answers because there are no telecommunications in the west.  
Gray and Natsu wanted to meet her and Loki before everyone else. She put on the new skirt she had fallen in love with and went to meet them at their regular bar and saw them outside. They stood there smoking. She ran to them and hugged them tightly. All three of them went to the bar and ordered a beer. The conversation flowed into their experiences "You don't understand! what a terrible thing we were, we were fighting with her all the time!" Natsu said with exaggerated flapping hands.  
She chuckled.  
Gray looked harsh.  
"It's not funny. We're never going to go with anyone else."

Natsu nodded, "Just Gray and me."  
She looked with false suspicion "Want to tell me something?"  
They groaned in perfect coordination.  
"Can you stop? It's no longer amusing." Natsu complained in a relatively high voice.  
She grinned slyly.  
Natsu was the only one who complained about it. Gray just made a troubled face. Natso announced that his bladder is about to explode and went to the bathroom. Gray checked his cell phone as always.

"Gray, I'm not interesting enough?" She asks looking pissed.

"what?! No!I have to do something." He closed the cell phone.

"One more time you're on the cell phone while we're alone, I'll take it from you."  
She looked at him intently, reaching out to try to grab the phone, he pocketed it before she could get there.  
He had experience because it was not the first time that Juvia tried to reach his cell phone because he was hooked.  
"Let's bet you can't be without the cell phone until Natsu comes back," she said.  
His eyes met hers and did not move for a second "obviously I can."  
She didn't look away and grinned "prove."  
They talked about their actions until Natsu came back. "Can you listen to me for a second?" She was surprised to hear him.  
"One second."

She tried to cut her eyes off but neither of them could. Natsu slapped Gray, and they started to fight. She got out of the spell and attempted to separate them without success. Half an hour later they paid and headed for the exit. Gray and Natsu tried to persuade her to go to see a film but she couldn't. Still, she stayed awake thinking about how she was sure her feelings for Gray were gone, but they were only hiding until the right moment break out. It was the first time she realized that emotions for him wouldn't disappear with the magic of thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**For those who want a love story, it will, but first Gray and Juvia need to Grow up.**  
 **The story will indeed begin in the next chapter, so please be patient with me. It will be worth it!**  
 **A.N This is my story mix with Juvia and Gray, but in the continue, it will be O.K.**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, which I really hoped I did :P**

* * *

 **v**.

 **Goodbye.**

It couldn't be a little excitement, or a casual crush Juvia thought. Otherwise why she would feel a sharp blow because Gray was talking to her. With someone, who wasn't Juvia. During the evening, Gray examined her because he knew she dressed like that for him. She saw it in his eyes. Gray knew Juvia is beautiful. What he didn't know was that she clothed like that to try to end their friendship, to show him what he was missing. Juvia hadn't dressed so beautifully, almost never. Gray had not seen her in months. She dressed like that because Gray knew what he was going to lose, but he didn't understand what he was missing.

Juvia caught him looking at her and then ignored her. That sharp blow in her heart became overweight with pain.  
Gray knew. He had thrown smiles and looked but not say a word, and that was what she longed for all night. To hear Gray's voice calling her name, his laughter that he was trying to ignore the fact that she made her laugh more than anyone else.

"Are you already going?"

Gray said when Juvia had gotten up at the far corner of the table

"Yes," she answered, "Some people work tomorrow, you know."

Not looking at him as she straightened her tiny straight short, Juvia couldn't look him in the eye, she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"when you need to wake up?" Gray tried to scrape some more information out of her.

"Six in the morning," Juvia replied coolly, tickling her tongue impatiently.

"So what?" he replied.

The real intention was to stay here a little longer. Juvia had answers in her head like 'I need to get Luke back, and he gets up at 5 am' or 'I'm tired' or 'Why should I stay and see her touch you?' She just looked half angry, and half amused and went to say goodbye to the party owner, Natsu.

Gray got up to hug her, and she didn't expect it. He said hello to her and listened to her talk with a good friend. He grinned at the silly things she said and looked until she, Luke and Lucky had left the house.  
Yes, it isn't a little excitement or a casual crush.

* * *

 **vi.**

 **Garbage Can.**

Juvia wanted the love to turn into hate. The emotions stirred in her. Not what she wanted. Juvia went through her contact list.  
She stopped at his picture but continued after a fraction of a second.  
The image raised nostalgia, feelings of sadness and lack of realization.  
Juvia wanted to get annoyed and erase their conversations from her memory and her cell phone, as she had with other boys, in many relationships without genuine emotion.

Juvia hoped to find someone superior to him, someone, who would show her feelings of passion and love. She wanted to erase it from her memory. To erase their conversations, to erase how his laughter sounded, how he narrowed the eyebrows that were bothering him. Juvia wanted to forget him.  
Juvia couldn't. Juvia felt she couldn't. Every time she came to press the mark of the garbage can to delete all. Juvia couldn't touch the mark in her mind, and that was what hurt the most. To her sorrow, there was not a small sign of garbage can to erase everything.

* * *

 **vii.**

 **Flood.**

When you don't expect it happens, you fall in love. The silence that overwhelms you before the storm. The wholeness that envelops you, in the darkness. The experiences that surround you. Nothing alerts or warns you before love paralyzes you.

Love binds you to one place, to a particular person. Juvia didn't like it. She didn't want it.  
For a long time, she gloated that she didn't have that, that she wasn't tied or bound to anyone.  
Juvia knew she was hearts breaker. Men and boys she had gone out with in the past, as soon as the real emotions appeared to them, Juvia disappeared quickly. She didn't answer the calls, put up fights, and some, those who didn't give up, so she just lied to them. Juvia had three loves she hadn't intended, and in Gray, she hadn't meant to fall in love. He was like the ocean, and the emotions flooded her.

* * *

 **viii.**

 **The Last Time.**

The decision was simple, cut the connection. Highly possible, Juvia thought. She forgot the longing and doubt, the grief and the pain.

For example, each time she entered their group in Whatsapp, the pangs of retirement consumed her from the inside and threatened to destroy all that left of her feelings.  
Their conversation wasn't over. Gray didn't answer the question, but she wanted to hear the answer.  
The signs he sent her were visible more than a neon sign in the middle of the night.  
Gray doesn't like her. He may desire her, but real feelings weren't there. At least not on his part.

Despite everything Juvia knew she wanted, no, she had to finish the conversation, the blue haired girl wanted to hear him say the words she needed more than anything else to move on.  
The day after the club she called him. The conversation didn't start peacefully.

"You didn't answer my question," Juvia said without thinking twice.

She was calm. She knew Gray was on the line. Juvia could hear the deep breaths he had taken on the other side. Her impatience reached a boiling peak.

"Are you going to answer or what?"  
Juvia snarled into the phone and heard a loud swallow.

"Hello to you, too," he said quietly.

"Do not play with me, Gray. This conversation is for one thing, and you know it"

Gray choked for a moment, and Juvia heard his trembling voice.

"I know if you do not like the answer than you-"

She interrupted him with a quiet, hollow laugh. "You didn't understand me yesterday, even if you're in love with me with every being of your soul I'm going to end this."

Gray's voice became hushed. "Even if I'm in love with you, you will not want to talk to me, what happened than yesterday?" Gray pleaded with her.

"I understood what I was worth if you didn't fight me until now you will not fight for me in the future!"

"So why did you call?" He asked. "I didn't expect to hear from you after you escaped yesterday."

Everything turned red. The wave of fresh anger hit Juvia.  
"You told your friend that our conversation is not important."

Juvia yelled at him, today, after a night full of tears, her eyes didn't get wet because she already wast all of her tears.

"I tried to buy a little time!" Gray answered passionately.

"Why did you need time to answer if you could ever feel anything for me? Last time I checked, you loved being in my company. "

Suddenly the emotions left her without energy. Gray finally understood why she had called.

"Juvia, you are an amazing person, and I enjoyed every moment of our together ... If I wasn't busy trying not to feel anything for you in those months, I might have fallen in love with you, but I'm not in love with you now."

Juvia felt a sharp pain in her chest but also a tremendous relief. She knew the conversation was over now that he'd told her he was not in love with her. Juvia said the one thing she longed to tell him for months.

"Goodbye Gray, I love you."

He answered in a small voice full of despair "Bye Juvia. You will find someone who will not be blind to you."  
She heard a murmur that sounded to her like "not like me."  
Juvia stifled a sob "I really love you."  
Juvia hung up the call. The conversation cured her somewhat. She could be loved, she knew it with all the hearts she'd broken, they'd let a path in a forest as tangled with emotions as Hazel and Gretel's scraps trail. This way led straight to her heart. The news that Gray could love her comforted her and Juvia hoped it was enough to endure to this break.

* * *

 **ix.**

 **Broken Heart.**

Juvia would be screaming. She was trying to shake her body to force her the pain out.  
There are those who would say that the most beautiful and wonderful feeling in the world, but all she could feel was a long, terrible, painful suffering that sucked her life out.  
Love is a lie Juvia thought. Who wants to think of someone else without considering in yourself?  
When are you the one who is hurting you?  
Love is shit, the core of our existence and what fills it with light and hope but on the other hand, fills us with hatred and pain that destroy the soul.

* * *

 **A.N please let me know if you like it! **

Martygruvialover It will be okay in the end. This story hurt now, but it will be better! Promise! And you will soon know what happened after all this. (by the way, it's Gruvia soulmates!)

Releina Artemis Rockefeller thank you! I also thought it the right thing to do. I'm sorry, I knew how it feels.

Guest, what dialogue didn't make sense? I really want to know. It's really imporntrnt to me.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Fairy Tail, which I hoped I did :P**

 **Martygruvialover** \- I understand. Her is one of the flirty women Juvia is jealous of. Loke is Loki just a nickname (sorry it wasn't clear!). I truly want to see what do for her now that he understand what he is losing!  
 **Guest(1)** \- can you see the feelings flowing from theirs. We as humans fell so much every single moment and most of the time it the precisely opposite and it doesn't make us hypocritical and neither Gray and Juvia, they are humans like us.  
 **Releina Artemis Rockefeller** \- I understand you completely. In a few years and when the time is right she could press the button but who knew what the future holds for us?  
 **Guest(2)** \- I can see where this is coming from, but I hope at the end of this chapter your opinion will change.

 **THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING TO MY STORY. 3**

* * *

 **The Begining of the End.**

 **x.**

 **Start over.**

Today was a hot sunny day, as always. The summer itself was still sweating, and the location of the city didn't help at all. The proximity to the sea was a five-minute ride at a slow pace like a turtle.  
The humidity was thick, and you didn't have to try to sweat. Just stand in the sun for less than two minutes, and you're already dripping with sweat. It wasn't a day to go to work or get out of the air conditioner in the house, but Juvia knew what she had to do, if she stayed home, she would start thinking, and unwelcome thoughts would come to visit.

She rises quickly before the unwanted thoughts return to her head. She washed her face and dressed in a tight but modest dress and hurriedly put on makeup. Juvia tried to get to the car as soon as possible without becoming a puddle on the way.

Today she begins her new job. She would start working in journalism, she was halfway to her degree in literature, and after a book, she wrote but couldn't bring herself to send it to publishers companies.

The trip didn't take long, about half an hour without traffic. Juvia went into the office for the first time, and the blue color caught her eyes. The secretary's desk was blue, the floor rug was furry and blue, and the walls were blue too, painted sky-blue, even the air smelled blue, the smell of blueberries and sweetness. Luckily the secretary wasn't blue or wore an item that resembled blue. Juvia went to her after a moment's wavering.

"Welcome to the newspaper 'Noga.' How can I help you? " Said the secretary pleasantly.

"Hello," Juvia said formally, "Juvia Lockser, the new writer for the entertainment section."

The secretary beat at her happily.  
"They informed me that a new woman was joining the newspaper," she said.

Juvia smiled and thought to herself that she might be happy here.  
The office spread over the entire floor. The departments were many. Sports, politics, economics, gossip, general, entertainment, and so forth.  
Each of the department had a room divided into three small cubicles. 'Noga' was not as big as New York Times or Weekly Sorcerer, and that was just because it was spread for the first time a year and a half ago. Juvia got the job after one of the writers went to work for New York Times.

She parted from Rose and went into a room that was marked "Entertainment" in decorated and curly letters. She knocked twice on a door and opened it. Juvia forced herself to smile but could not get rid of the tension in her body.  
"Hello?"  
She said in a small voice. Two men were waiting for her. One of them was wearing an open blue blazer, an elegant black shirt, matching black trousers, and black moccasins. His dirty blond hair contradicted the whole outfit. The other is a short bald man in the most flowered shirt Juvia has ever seen with tight red slacks.

"Juvia Lockser, isn't it? Chris told us you'd come," the bald man said.

"You're too early." The blond grumbled.

"I didn't know how long it would take me to get here, so I left early ..." she finished in a whisper.

The bald man held out his hand.  
"Lewis Kurmet and the jaunty blond is Ryan Shous."

"Very nice to meet, Juvia Lockser." She pressed his hand and moved to Ryan, who was looking at her hand as if offering to touch a dog's poop without a plastic bag. She pulled her hand back and smiled at them. It would take her time to bond with them, and she was okay with it. It's like the first day of high school, and all you have to do is what she always did. To be herself.  
She felt a shaking from her purse. She took out the cell phone and saw a message from Lyon.

 **Lyon** : "Beautiful, good morning, hope you will have a good first day at your new job ... love and think about you."  
She quickly typed an answer.

 **Juvia** : "Good morning, favorable here and the co-workers are a bit hard to crack, but I'll break them with my magic, love too."

She looked at Lewis who had said something to her, and she hadn't heard him.

"Sorry, I didn't hear" she played with her hair and was determined to listen this time.  
"Chris has already explained pretty much everything, hasn't he?"

She remembered the conversation with Chris that the entertainment department was dealing with new books coming out, movies, restaurants, shows, standups, singers, albums, radio stations and so on. She nodded.

"Because you're new, you'll be in charge of two things this month, books and albums. You have to be in the office three times a week like you did decide with Chris, and if there's something urgent, we'll call you and send it to you in an email or a messenger."

Juvia laughed. His expression when he said books and looked at her like she was ready for her to run out screaming.

"There can be no better than that," she chirped.  
Ryan looked at her as if she had fallen off the moon.

"He said books" he stressed.  
Juvia gave him a look of 'shut up, I'm not dense.'  
"I love to read. I always will love to read, analyze and get money on that, this my dreams work."

They were stunned, here is a 25-year-old woman who loves to read. She knew that people like her were extinct in the digital world. They gave her a list of books and their copies. They point her to her table. She started with the first book. "The Dream of an Immigrant" She was drawn to the book until she felt a tingle on the table and saw two messages from Lyon.

 **Lyon** : "I give them half an hour before they fall in love with you. Of course, we're going! Think about what movie you want."  
 **Lyon** : "Just reminds you that you should eat, don't get too occupied at work."  
 **Juvia** : "Thank you, they brought me a book to read, and I got into it. Maybe something of Marvel, I'm going to eat outside to get to know the surroundings a bit."

 **Lyon** : "If you find a nice spot, we'll sit there when I come to visit you (Imogi Kiss)," he said.

 **Juvia** : "I'm going to talk to you after lunch, I'll sit down to learn a little bit, love (hearts)."

At lunch, she went to eat alone in a restaurant close to the office. She knew I would be hard to make friends in the competitive environment of the newspapers. She knew it would take time, so her co-workers at the office to open up to her. She didn't worry about it.

She ate peacefully while she tried to learn a little for the test that she has in two weeks at the university. It's the final exam of her second year. While she was studying, she tried not drop pieces of mashed potatoes on her summaries but without success. Suddenly she heard someone sit down on the other side of the table.

"Juvia," said a familiar voice, a voice she hadn't heard in nearly two years.  
She raised her head and saw the same person she thought she would never see again, the one she had gone out of her way not to run into again.

"Gray" she breathed heavily "What are you doing here?".  
He raised his eyebrows and didn't answer.  
"How are you?" He asked with a frightening calmness.

He was more subtle than she had ever been. She didn't find some smart answer to remark, so she was satisfied with the good old "okay and you?".  
She didn't see him for two years and all of her choices, at first she thought she would be able to break entirely with him and still keep her friends in their group, but it did not happen. She and Natsu became distance and talked only once every few months, and Loki always met her once a month, but it was not like it used to be.  
Not like when they were twenty-one when they went to the movies and then went to the bar and the night was still young. The meetings are now more focused and shorter.

Gray looked the same, only more authoritative and more mature. The same black eyes that contain your soul in a glance, that wild black hair and the smile that captured her for the first time.

"Fine, working and studying like everyone else," he replied monotonously.

"You busy yourself as always, do you enjoy life at all?"  
She hated herself for rolling with the conversation but he sat opposite her, and after two years Juvia hoped she could have a conversation with him without falling in love with him again.  
He laughed and moved his lips as if to say something and regretted it.

"I make the time reasonably now, are you working around here?"  
"Yes, today is my first day at work, I work at 'Noga' now."

She replied with a smile and remembered how easy the conversations were with him.

"Well done, I work across the street." He looked at the clock and got up quickly. "I'm late."  
He waved at her quickly and came out of her life as fast as he'd come in two minutes before that. Juvia didn't occupy herself with "Why did he talk to her at all?" Or 'Where is he late?' But only in the fact that she would have to see him most of the time because he was working in the building opposite to her. Her luck can be suck sometimes.

* * *

On that day she received a message from Natsu asking her 'how is she?' Juvia had chosen to drop the new job, University, Lyon or anything real about her and answered with the causal 'everything is good and how are you?' and went on with her life. What she didn't prepare herself was to see Natsu the next day at the corner cafe next to her job looking for her.

"Gray told me you're here."  
He sat down while she took a slip from her boiled coffee. She coughed and spat out straight into the napkin that was within reach.  
'How did he know I was here?' She thought, No one knew she was here, not the best friends, neither her family nor her Lyon.

"How did he know I was here?" She asked as soon as the feeling of her burn tongue returned to her.

"He saw you from the window."

Natsu solved the matter with a brief sentence.  
Juvia sighed, she knew she would draw again as soon as Juvia saw Gray again at the moment he sat opposite her yesterday and now that Natsu had decided to surprise her.  
Juvia wanted to be everyone's friend, but it wasn't possible in the past, and she didn't know if she wished to didn't know if she wants to throw her quiet normal happy for the crazy fun comic gang of friends of theirs.  
Natsu passed his hand through his new long pink hair. He moved to feel more comfortable in the strange chair he had sat on and ignored the dependent look Jvia had sent him.

Juvia has always been known for her tactlessness, always. In childhood, she found it difficult to keep her thoughts inside and still found a way to express herself even if not in speech. She moved the textbook into the big case beside her and folded her hands in objection.  
Natsu chose to ignore her mad look, he looked aside and studied the little cafe. They sat outside by well-kept trees in a small glass table suitable for only one man. The waitress approached and asked if they would like to order anything else. Juvia said she would be glad for another coffee and Natso asked for her soda.

"Can you explain to me why you're here?" Juvia asked after the suffocating silence.

"That's a trick question," he murmured.

"No it's not, I just want to know why you came for," she said. "I want to know why you're here after I have not seen you in two years."

Natsu stared at her in bewilderment. " You're the one who cut the friendship. I always wanted to keep in touch."

Juvia watched him try to figure out what was going on in his head. He knew she had broken off with Gray, and Natsu had always wanted to bring them back together so they could talk and Juvia wasn't prepared to deal with it.

"We would have maintained contact with you wouldn't have tried to bring Gray every time we met."

She remembered the amount of material she needed to learn before her exam and was annoyed that he was taking these crucial minutes that she could do something more productive with her time.

"He needs you, Juvia." He tried to justify himself.

"No he did not," she argued.

"He is, I'm his best friend, I know," he said so decisively that even Juvia was surprised.

"He broke down after you cut him out, he went into work and studies, without going out and spending time with us."

Juvia recalled dozens of times that she had come to a cafe or a bar she had arranged a hangout with Natsu and saw him and Gray sitting there waiting for her. She remembered her heart had once been in chastising pain when she saw them waiting for her. Juvia had smiled sadly, the tears water her eyes and she had left without looking back.

That's how she met Lyon. The last time she left a coffee house by the ocean she bumped into Lyon and fell. She began to cry but not because of the painful fall, but that Natsu and Gray might see her in a cafe. Lyon apologized and helped her up. Juvia tried to run away without saying a word but he followed her to the car to ask forgiveness, and she explained to him that it wasn't him at all. He made her laugh and asked if she wanted to sit down and have a cup of coffee with him.  
And after that, their relationship began.

"All the times were about to meet. You always brought him with you, so he didn't lie. Gray go out. I didn't break him" She said coldly.

"But they were the only times. Gray came because he wanted to see you, you were the reason, Juvia." He sounded sincere and wretched until Juvia began to feel sorry for Gray.

"No!" She said aloud that she remembered Gray's smile and his glittering dark eyes. "You will not do this to me Natsu!" She got up and was about to walk toward the cash register, but Natsu was quicker than her and grabbed her elbow.

He looked at her with begging eyes. Natsu asked her not to go without words, and her hard looks subdued. Juvia remembered all the conversations going into the middle of the night, all he knew about her, and she knows everything about him, it was a real friendship, and it was only because of this Juvia sat back in the strange chair.

The coffee arrived, and she took a long drink, waiting for Natsu to start talking.

"What's the going on with you honestly?" He asked, as always. He saw beyond her defenses. Just like her Lyon, but there were always things she could not tell anyone.  
She smiled a little.

"Life is finally good," she said. "The studies are going well, they are hard, but I am enjoying myself, Lyon and I are moving in together next month, I have a job, and they give to read books."

He laughed.

"But something is missing." Juvia finished in a sad tone. "What about you?" She asked.

She didn't want to give him a chance to answer. Natsu was news as the one who always forgets what you talk about if you give him another subject, he always had a problem of lack of concentration. This time he seemed to have found the focus.

"you know what's missing," Natsu said and reached for her hand, which was resting on the table, he gave her comforting press. Juvia ignored him.

"What about you? you still want to study medicine?"  
He understood that she wanted to change the subject.

"I chose the research at the end. I didn't have the strength to do another P.E.T test ONE MORE TIME. 760 It's still and always will be an unreasonable demand. "

"How long did it take you to forget him?" He asked, again leading her to a subject she didn't want to talk about.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied.

"Go out with us tomorrow, one time, in memory of those days, bring Lyon with you if you want."

The offer was very tempting. Getting out of the house with her friends and not just with Lyon sounds too good.

"Who came and where?" She asked "The usual gang and Temple Bar" Juvia didn't jump up happy to hear it.

"And Gray?" She asked.

"Not sure coming."  
She sighed with relief. When Gray said 'not sure' was a big fat 'NO.'

"Ok we'll come"  
They kept talking and staying until her lunch break was over. Natsu insisted on paying for her and she went to work with a smile on her lips. Juvia dialed Lyon, who answered her immediately.

* * *

" _Remember all the friends I've always told you about?_ " Juvia spoke excitedly

" _Of course_ " Lyon laughed at her enthusiasm.

" _We're going with them to Temple Bar today,_ " Juvia announced and almost jumped in place.

" _Ok, love, if that's what you want, but it means you owe me an hung out with my friends too._ "  
She laughed.  
" _I love your friends. You had to request for something else._ "

" _And they love you, but because of the tests they did not see you for a month, and they start teasing me and asking if we broke up_." He sighed at fake despair.

" _what!?_ " She said aloud. " _Why should they think that? I'll take a break from studies on Saturday night, tell them I will meet them then._ "  
Juvia was at the entrance to the office.

" _Ok I'll talk to them_ "  
" _I need to get in. I love you_."

" _Love you too, Juvia_."  
They cut off the call.

Ryan looked at her strangely and came in almost skipping to the office and sat down at the table. Juvia finished the book 'The Dream of an Immigrant.'

* * *

" _The book 'The Dream of an Immigrant' describes of an 18-year-old boy who left his entire family behind in Egypt and came to London to study and grow, where he encountered social difficulties because of the complicated political situation and challenges in studying at the level of education. The book is well written and pulls you into an entirely different reality from what we know here in Magnolia and makes you wonder what is happening outside the beautiful bubble that we have painted over the years. Better to understand that life isn't what we thought but in spite of all Good things in the book, topics and lacks its own unique voice. I strongly recommend reading the book to book's fans but is not empowering reading experience and useful tool learn new thing._ "

Juvia handed Lewis a review to the first inspection and stood there while he read the paragraph. He finished and nodded.

"I'll send it to the editing department." He put the page next to him and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"When did you get to read the entire book? You have a whole month for five books and five albums."

"My love for reading knows no boundaries" She sent him a dazzling smile and returned to the table to start the first album on the list, some punk music.  
 _Sweet Pie._

She listened to the bites that they were going to increase consistently. When it was five o'clock in the afternoon, she took her bag and went back to her house.

* * *

Juvia took a shower and sat down to study until it was time to get prepared. She wears a tight skirt and a bright gray shirt. Juvia collected her sky blue hair into a high ponytail and put on little makeup. Juvia heard her cell phone ring (Lucky by Jason Marz) and went out to meet Lyons under the apartment she had rented with two partners. She reached his dark blue car and went into the seat beside him.  
"Hey," Juvia said, closing her belt and leaning down to kiss him. Lyon looked at her with the big black eyes and closed them during the long kiss. He put his hand on her neck and held her close to him. She sighed and surrendered quickly to the embrace. She forgot her studies, her work, and all the reasons for the tension she had in the last few days. She pulled away from him and played with his silver-white locks and looked at him fondly.

"How was your day?" Lyon asked as he rested his forehead on hers.

"Okay, but now it's great." She closed her eyes and smelled the body soap and lemon that his skin had spread.

"was good but perfect now," he said, kissing her cheek. "we have to move if you don't want to be late." She straightened up in her seat with an apparent objection. Lyon knew she didn't want to be late, but she missed him even though she had seen him last night.

"Right, will we move?" She took his hand and joined their fingers. He always drives with their hands mingled. Juvia raised their hands and softly kissed the back of his hand and put them on her legs. He laughed softly and gave her a loving gaze. She stuck out her tongue and looked back at the road.  
The ride was short, and they parked quickly and entered while their hands still joined. They came to the bar and took out their identity cards.  
At the corner table, Levi, Gajeel, Erza Jellal, Loki, Natsu, and Lucy were waiting for them. Juvia eyes water of seeing them again. She misses them so much.  
Everyone was surprised to see her and stood up to hug her. Soon she and Lyon drifted into conversations and ordered beer and chips.  
She was not surprised that Levi and Gagil were engaged now, Erza was still with Jellal, and two were even at the University of Margaret, and they happened to be in Magnolia today. Loki told her that he had progressed and was a junior editor at a presumed television station. Suddenly Juvia felt a chill in her spine and leaned against Lyon, tried to soak up his heat. She saw from the corner of her eyes that another couple had joined and that Natsu had given her an apologetic look.

"Juvia, what a surprise," Gray said, and the table fell silent.

"You" He stared coldly at Lyons."Gray, I can say the same thing," the blue-haired woman said, and all their surroundings flinched back from her harsh icy voice.

"And his new girlfriend, I guess?" She looked at the little girl sitting next to him. She looks very much like her. Abundant blue hair, dark blue eyes, and a model's curves. The girl nodded and swallowed hard. "Luria" she managed to squeak in response.

Juvia looked at her and smiled, "Very nice to meet you, my name is Juvia, and this is my Boyfriend Lyon."  
She kissed him lightly on the cheek. Gray put his hand on Luria and held her close to him, but he still kept his eyes on Juvia.

"So this is the famous Gray?" Lyon whispered in her ear. His voice was nodded and said, "He wasn't supposed to be here." He stroked her shoulder, and she shut her eyes. "You don't have to be so tense because overcame him, your life is good, and you have me. " Lyon kissed her slowly, and Juvia returned the kiss and bit his lower lip lightly. For a moment she forgot that they were in a bar in the middle of a table and raised her hands to wrap his neck to draw his face to her and continued to kiss him until someone cleared his throat. She pulled away from Lyon immediately.

Juvia saw Gray's burning gaze, and she felt ashamed. She got up from the table and went outside. She took one cigarette from the box she had barely used in the past year.  
She didn't know why she was reacting like that. Juvia usually gave a smug look to those around and went on kissing Lyon, but something in Gray's gaze made her ashamed of the way she behaved with her boyfriend.  
Juvia wanted to light the cigarette, and the understanding fell like a small coin in a candy's auto machine. She didn't take a lighter with her.

"Do you need fire?" Said a voice behind her. Juvia sighed because she recognized that voice.

"Yes, thank you." She didn't look at Gray while she smoked the cigarette.

"It's the second time in two days that I see you," he tried to develop a conversation.  
Javier grunted and turned away.  
Gray caught her. He looked at her with his black eyes that drilled into her as always,"Why we can't be friends? We can go back to what we once were."

"Because I don't want to," she said, trying to free himself.

"Why not both in a relationship, can we go back to talking?" Gray implored her.

"You've broken my heart, and I've never been the same again," Juvia said in a tiny voice.

"And you broke mine, in the same conversation, but I know I don't want to live without you in my life, whatever you give me," Gray responded, and she heard his dread of losing her again in his speech.  
She shifted to him. Juvia knew the moment Gray asked her, She will give him everything, she loved Lyon, but he never held her heart.  
Gray in one conversation, in one look, one request reached her heart again. He asked that she be in his life and she would be but under her conditions right now.

"The only thing I can give you is dry words and hateful looks," Juvia said and hoped he would leave the little hope that they would speak again, but he surprised her.

"As long as it means I'll see you I'll take it." Gray pulled her to him and held her for a second before she pushed him away.  
They came in, and Juvia came back with a half-angry, half-confused look. As soon as she sat down, Lyon wrapped her in a loving embrace. She remembered Gray's embrace. The heat from him and how Juvia pushed his harms away. At the end of the table, she saw Gray whispering something to Luria, and she nodded.

Juvia said aloud. "I think we'll go."Lyon broke himself off her and began collecting things, and she picked up her bag. At the other end of the table, Gray and Luria got up too. They paid and separated from their friends.

Her friends didn't understand the early walk.

"You've just arrived!" "Not yet 23:00 pm". They just waved goodbye and didn't stop for a quick and Luria were a few steps away.

"You want to explain to me what happened between you and Gray?" Lyon used a flat ton.  
"Gray asked me to get back in touch, to be friends. At first, I didn't want to, but he managed to convince me." Juvia sighed, trying to get some of her feelings out of that sigh but everything stayed inside her.

Lyon suddenly stopped. "Are you going back to talk to him?"  
Juvia saw where it was going and she could hardly believe he could think of her leaving him for Gray.  
"Lyon, do you think I'm going to leave you, what we have because I agreed not to ignore Gray?" Juvia said and demanded Lyon to know what he was feeling.

"You once told me about someone amazing you went out with him, but you didn't feel what you felt for Gray and said broke out with him, you can't blame me for what I think."  
Juvia laughed. The situation was not funny, and the conversation was not funny, everything was not funny except for one thing the comparison between then and now. The white-haired man waited for Juvia's sudden laughter to pass.

"In the past, I knew I loved him, and I tried to forget him, and that's what I didn't have to do, I hurt a fantastic person, maybe I ruined my ex, but when you came to me, I forgot about everything but you.  
If you compare between you, Gray is poison, and you are warm. Two completely different things, at two different times."

Juvia didn't notice that a crowd was gathering around them and part of him was Gray and Luria. Gray didn't seem interested and was busy with his cell phone, but she could see the narrowed eyebrows that told her he had heard everything and Luria stood stunned beside him.  
Juvia looked at Lyon, who smiled at her and pulled her toward him. "Your strange metaphors always made me laugh, let's get you home."

Sometimes Juvia wondered if Lyon was hiding something from her, he never talked about his feelings except 'I love you' in messages, and his past is completely erased, and he wouldn't share it. She wanted to know what was going on inside of his head, but he didn't share. In their fights ended all the time with a joke after he made her pour her heart and he said something detached and hugged her.

* * *

Juvia lay down on her bed and checked the cell phone. There were all kinds of messages. Natsu sent he will speak to her tomorrow. Lyon posted a goodnight blessing and hearts. Cana asked if they would be meeting at a coffee shop next to the university tomorrow. And there was one message she didn't expect to arrive so fast.

 **Gray** : "Poison? Really? Is that what I am to you?"  
Juvia sighed. How could she explain to him about the ten months she had been fall in love with him and couldn't get him out of her mind, day and night.  
 **Juvia** : "That's just what you are."  
 **Gray** : "How am I exactly a poison?"  
 **Juvia** : "Because you don't get out of the blood system no matter how much they try to drive you away."  
 **Gray** : "When did you try to drive me away?"  
 **Juvia** : "You're kidding me, aren't you?"  
 **Gray** : "No no, when did you try to drive me away before the conversation?"  
 **Juvia** : "How I didn't miss your questions and answers."  
 **Gray** : "Are you sure of that?"  
 **Juvia** : "(furious Imogie ) Goodnight."  
 **Gray** : "Good night to you too (sleeping Imogie)  
Juvia connected her cell phone to the charger and hoped he would forget that she had agreed to go back to talk to him. That everything will continue to be as it has been in the last two years.

* * *

The little cafe in the side alley next to the university was deserted in early morning except for a waitress, a barista, and a two of friends who sat inside where the air conditioner was the best. The Joe Coffee shop gave the people a warm pub feel that was open on the day. There was a wide variety of beers besides many kinds of coffee beans. Cana and Juvia sat with two cups of coffee each and textbooks open wide, though they didn't seem to have been used. They didn't delve deeply into learning. Cana and Juvia had known nearly nine years. From the first year of high school. Their meeting was the fate, but the friendship was only their action.

"He doesn't stop?" Cana said at Juvia's last cell phone little beep of messing.  
"He's trying to catch up two years of detachment," Juvia said, turning the cell phone.  
Juvia knew the message had been from Gray. He'd sent her a message every half an hour since last night. The morning she got up she discovered four new texts from him.

"Natsu told you he was depressed for a long time?" Cana continued the conversation.

"A year from what I understood." Juvia drank her last sip from the second cup of coffee.

"Did he realize I loved you?" Cana had a unique way of seeing things and making Juvia uncomfortable in her thoughts. She always led to the claim that Juvia could not understand alone.  
"Juvia was always trying to control her voice, the subject was still sensitive to her, but Cana always liked to mention it every few months, not that Juvia forgot, but she didn't understand why Cana ever raised the subject back it was in the past.

"It took you far extremely long to move on."

"A year and a month." Juvia was specific.

"A year that took him go out of depression." Cana clarified, and Juvia raised her eyebrows in question.

"What you trying to claim exactly?" Juvia asked and wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.  
"It took you almost the same amount of time to get over each other," Cana said as if that were the explanation everything, but Juvia still was in the dark. She didn't understand the intent behind the conversation. She felt the conversation moving in a direction she wouldn't like.

"and...?" She said, trying to figure out Cana's line of thought. Most of the time Juvia understood Cana before she finished the sentence but not this moment.  
"It could have been real and not just in your head."  
So far Juvia had not looked at her, but after the sentence, Juvia couldn't keep her eyes on the table. She stared fixedly at Cana's brown eyes.

"Did you think that all this time, my feelings for him, were only in my head ?!" She almost shouted in the isolated place. Cana raised the thin eyebrows at a challenge.

"All right, most of the time it was like that, but it wasn't like that with him." Juvia breathed.

"That's what you always say." Cana grinned, and Juvia snorted doubtfully, but she knew it was true.  
They continued their little fights until Cana returned them to the real purpose of the conversation that Juvia hadn't yet get.

"You still love him, don't you?"

"Of course you do, you know me, as soon as I love someone, I love to the death and back."

"Will you split from Lyon?" Lucy moved uncomfortably, and Juvia didn't know why.

"Absolutely not." She thought of Gray's expression of rage that he saw Lyon and her together.

"It's hard to find men like him. He's pretty amazing." Juvia smiled knowingly, thinking about all the times she'd spent in his apartment as his girlfriend.

"Yes, he's the kind of ring."  
Cana said and looked back at the open book that had not been touched for more than an hour.

"Umm is not sure, but he's the closest I've ever met." Juvia murmured.  
Another message came, but this time it was from Natsu.

* * *

 **Natsu** : "avoiding Gray?"  
 **Juvia** : "Are you his bodyguard or something?"  
 **Natsu** : "No, but didn't you say you'd go back to the friendship?"  
 **Juvia** : "Kind of, I said l hatred looks and dry words."  
 **Natsu** : "Then you answer dry, he is hurting."  
 **Juvia** : "You're still together all the time, at least it has not changed."  
Juvia sighed and went into her chat with Gray.  
 **Gray** : "Juvs, want to sit down for coffee sometime?"  
 **Gray** : "to talk."  
 **Gray** : "Juvs"  
 **Gray** : "I understand the feeling now."  
 **Gray** : "What you felt then"  
 **Gray** : "Wow, sure you're hurt."  
 **Gray** : "Are you going to answer?"  
 **Gray** : "Sometime?"  
That was the last message

 **Juvia** : "hatred looks and dry words don't sit together for coffee."  
 **Gray** : "So what?" The answer arrived quickly.  
 **Juvia** : "You'll be the target in the paintball, and I'm the only one with the rifle." She's typed on a keyboard with a wicked smile on her lips.  
 **Gray** : "May I wear a shield?"  
 **Juvia** : "It's the best for you, but I don't agree on much."  
 **Gray** : "I think I should give up this pleasure."  
 **Juvia** : "clever."  
Juvia returned to her chat with Natsu.  
 **Juvia** : "Satisfied?"  
 **Natsu** : "Very, he smiles like a fool."  
 **Juvia** : "like the fool he is."  
She sent the text and put the cell phone aside.

* * *

"What happened?" Cana asked about it.

"Natsu, Gray, Natsu" Juvia simplified the process, and Cana didn't ask for more information. She knew that if it mattered, Juvia would have already told her herself.

* * *

 **AN: finally all done! I hope you like it!**  
 **Juvia still hurt deeply from Gray, and he tries to fix their problems.**  
 **She is confused. She loves Lyon, but still feel a deep emotional connection with Gray. Let see what happened next.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome again!**

 **I know what all of you think about Gray and you right but it a lot more complicated, I hope this chapter will make you understand him more.**

 **thank you so much** KassfromVenus

 **I really understand you, and now I have help and hope it will be more clear. Like I said Gray is a lot more** **complicated, he does tones of mistake...**

 **he does what he thinks is right.** Guest1

 **I don't intend to do Lyon a cheater and Gray will hard to make up to Juvia. About the girls... I just gonna keep quiet for now :3** Guest2

 **THIS IS A SPECIAL THANK TO** Releina Artemis Rockefeller **WHO HELPS ME AND MAKES THIS CHAPTER** **PROOFREAD** **. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **I still don't own fairy tail and I will never will :/**

* * *

 **The End of The Beginning**

Chapter 5

Two years before, after the last conversation with Juvia

 **xi**. **He fell.**

When Gray realized it was too late, the blue sky no longer smiled at him, the white clouds took on a shape of uncertainty, and even the pleasant sun burned him in shame.

Gray knew what he did, he meant it, he wanted it, but while he was trying to understand his real feelings, she disappeared.

It took Gray weeks to realize that Juvia wouldn't talk to him again. He sent messages, and she ignored them.

He tried to call her, and she blocked him. There were times when he wanted to drop by at her house and wait for her to go out just to see her face, or even to hear her laughter—anything, would satisfy him at that point. Gray understood Juvia's need to get away from him. He didn't realize how that conversation could break him so much. So much, that even his family began to notice.

Here's a little something about his family. Ur, his adoptive mother, took him in when he was eight years old. Lyon, the annoying older brother who Ur had also taken under her wings, the year before Gray. And his older sister, Ultear, who ran away at age 10. She was abducted but managed to escape three years later. After she had come home, Ur hugged her and kissed her, but Ultear saw Lyon and Gray there. It took Ultear several years and a lot of trouble with the wrong crowd to get back on the right track.

His family saw that something had happened to him, not that it was hard to see in Gray.

He got more irritated than ever. He shut himself up in his room for hours. He smiled less or he doesn't at all these days.

Everyone in his family tried to help him. Lyon offered his listening ear and his favorite punching bag (Gray knew that it was precious to Lyon. It was the last thing he had from his late parents). It didn't help. Gray didn't respond at all.

Ultear tried to talk to him, but maybe if she talked to a wall, it would be more cooperative than he was (Gray knew that if he tells Ultear about his problem, she will hit him for his own stupidity. Gray already knew that he was stupid and he didn't want a reminder.)

Ur tried in her stubborn way to soften Gray by dragging him to his favorite shops (car showrooms) and then to Gray's beloved pizzeria so they could eat his favorite pizza and they could drink some craft beer. That was the best attempt so far because Ur managed to get him to talk about what happened.

"I screwed up, Mom," As soon as he said that, three tears succeeded in getting out of his eyes before Gray regained his composure. After that, his family left him in peace. If three daily calls and countless messages is what you can consider peace.

* * *

Let's take this back one more year, shall we?

Gray thought about how it had started. It was not a romantic meeting, just a movie and then coffee.

He didn't even speak more than a few words about the movie they saw if he remembered correctly.

"Yes, Harry Potter is much better than it was," He said while Juvia was looking for a waitress. Her iced coffee hadn't arrived yet and Max was already about to finish his food. As soon as she heard his sentence, her ears seemed to have perked up and her blue eyes focused on Gray.

Gray was not a person who likes to read, but everyone has their exceptions, and such exception was applied to the Harry Potter series for Gray.

"Have you seen the movies?" Juvia said musically, one of her hands went through her hair distractedly, as if trying to convey her discomfort and uneasiness without coffee. She must have been addicted to coffee, more than any of them on that table.

"And I read the books," he said disinterestedly. It didn't matter. Nothing had mattered to him.

Gray didn't understand why he stayed there at all. His car was in the parking lot, and he could get up and walk long ago, but something told him, 'something important is about to happen, stay put.' And stay put, he did.

"So what do you prefer, the books or the films?" Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth seemed shriveled like she had expected to be disappointed.

He didn't know why it mattered to her. It didn't matter to him. He could lie and see if she would be disappointed or continue the conversation and try to understand what she wanted to hear. The discussion was already running in his mind until he decided.

"The films are great, but the books are more interesting," He decided to tell the truth.

"Finally, a normal person in this group!" She said, looking for a waitress again with her eyes. The coffee hadn't arrived yet, but the bill was about to.

The beginning for him was the enthusiasm in her voice. She had drawn him to her from the first moment, and she didn't even know it.

* * *

A week later, Loke, Natsu, and Gray sat in a bar with cold beers that chilled them in the warm summer air. The entertainment was not new, and Gray felt that something was missing or lacking, like one person would change everything.

"Tell me. That Juvia, where do you know her from?" Natsu asked, and Gray moved his head in interest. Suddenly the conversation became more appealing than it had been in the past half hour, and all they talked about since were cars and work.

"We studied in the same school, and I met her in sixth grade," Loke said, sipping his dark beer and making a disgusted face.

"That's the last time I'll listen to you," he said, and Gray realized Loke meant the beer they'd recommended a few minutes ago.

"How come we haven't met her before?" It was Natsu who had advanced the conversation without realizing how much Gray wanted to hear about her.

"The friendship broke out after high school, and then we re-bonded in Lucy's birthday."

"Was she there?" Gray asked, and for the first time, a sound comes out of his mouth. It was the only hangout they missed because of work that dragged until late that particular night.

"In Lucy's birthday that we missed," Natsu completed Gray's thought.

"Yeah, we saw her there, and we went back to talking. Since then, we've been meeting all the time," Loke said, pushing the beer away from him and extending it towards Natsu so that someone else would drink it. He continued, "From what Juvia told me yesterday, she wants to arrange some kind of party at her place."

"Party?" Gray asked, his eyes on Loke. He tried to understand what Loke just said. Gray didn't know if Loke's bond with Juvia had a romantic feel to it, and he really wanted to see if he had a chance with her and if he could come to her party, too.

Loke shrugged. "She invited me."

"Are you going?" Natsu asked before Gray could have even managed to ask.

Loke moved his orange hair and looked at them curiously.

"Do you wanna go?" A sly smile spread across his face as if he had read Gray's thoughts. Gray nodded casually because he wasn't sure of his voice. He thought his voice would betray his mixed and new feelings.

"All right. I'll ask her. Hold on a sec." Loke picked up his phone and dialed quickly.

"Hey Juvs, can Gray and Natsu come to your party?" Loke asked. Gray heard her sweet, soft voice laugh.

"It's not a party, Loke, just a meeting between friends," Juvia responded pleasantly. Gray wanted to be the one who talked to her and to be the one who made her laugh.

"So, a party." Loke continued while two pairs of black eyes accompanied every syllable he issued in his solid voice.

"Oh, that's not a party!" Juvia reacted angrily. Gray smiled with amusement at her reaction. He could imagine her lying on a large, comfortable bed with a book lying on her belly in a warm pink room.

"I don't know who you're trying to deceive," Loke said with amusement.

"Is there any reason you called except to suggest I was lying? I don't need my uncles to get the wrong impression," She muttered, and it sounds like her composure was about to give. Gray didn't know what was in her voice that makes him smile like that. He looked at Natsu and noticed that his eyes were on him, examining each of his expressions.

"Yes, I have a reason. Do you have room for two more?" Loke asked the billion-dollar question.

"Of course. The more, the better," Juvia replied without hesitation. Gray took out a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding.

"Good. Gray and Natsu want to come," Loke replied almost immediately.

"Oh, the two we saw a movie with?" Juvia asked. Gray was a little offended that she didn't remember him.

Loke produced the sound of an unintelligible yes.

"If you didn't ask, I would ask you to invite them tomorrow." She giggled into the phone. Gray thought it was the best voice in the world, filling him with a warm feeling in his belly that spread all over his body, and everything was good and right in the world.

"Excellent. See you tomorrow. Goodnight." Loke said and hung up.

He looked at them and said triumphantly, "You are welcome to come."

"We heard," said Natsu, laughing loudly. Gray felt the uneasy atmosphere unfold. He didn't know what was about this woman. Just to hear her voice indirectly made him so calm and serene.

"By the way," Loke said, looking at them with serious eyes, "she's mine."

Gray's mouth gaped in surprise. Gray knew he had no chance with her from that moment. Not when one of his best friends want her. Friends before girls. Everyone knew that rule and Gray lived by these rules, as his late father had taught him. No matter what happens, he will not be able to be with her, and all his new and dangerous feelings for her should be locked in a drawer inside his heart that will never open.

* * *

Gray, Natsu, and Loke stood outside Juvia's house. It was a two-storey house with a fancy balcony and a big front lawn. The only car in the driveway was what Gray saw Juvia enter during that movie night, after saying goodbye. He concluded that her parents weren't home if there were no more cars.

"Are we the first here?" Gray asked about the lack of cars.

"No, stupid. People must have come in a taxi!" Loke waved Gray's concern.

Gray and Natsu met her just once and then now they're at her house. In a peculiar sense of courtesy, they didn't want to be among the first ones to get there. The atmosphere is sure to be heavy and unpleasant to anyone of them, if they were. By the time Gray had settled his thoughts, Natsu had already called for him to get his ass up the stairs. Natsu and Loke were standing by the door, while Gray didn't start walking up the stairs yet. He climbed quickly to catch up them.

Loke pushed the door in without irresolution, and Natsu protested. "What are you doing? You just can't get into someone else's house like that!"

"Can you have permission from the lady?" Loke gave the other two a mischievous grin as he entered and called out in a loud, noisy voice, "Juvs! We're here."

They heard the sound of footsteps above them, and a weak cry that sounded like a reaction. "I will go down in a few minutes, feel comfortable! Gajeel and Bora are in the kitchen."

"Gajeel?" Natsu said confusion. The name was familiar because they had met him a few times when they went to their favorite bar. Gajeel was a big unsympathetic type of a person, with red eyes, and piercings all over his face, and a long, black spiky hair.

"Bora?" Gray said quietly, as opposed to Gajeel, he couldn't put a face to the name. Whoever he was, he was close enough to Juvia that he's allowed inside the house while she was getting ready.

Lucky for him, Loke felt he needed to share some bits of information with them.

"Gajeel is Juvia's best friend. They are like siblings, and Bora was, from what I understood, Juvia's first love who became one of her best friends."

Natsu kept asking questions until they reached the kitchen, while Gray's head was full of 'First love. He was her first love. She had a first love.'

They arrived at the kitchen and they were greeted by a guy with a lanky build. The way he dressed was quite flamboyant and Gray had trouble discerning if this guy had trouble seeing colors or if he just decided that rich purple button-down shirt matches with orange corduroy bell-bottom pants and a pair of off-white topsider shoes.

Gray could not help but dislike this creature the moment he started talking. All his conduct lacked fundamental respect for the place and then there's Juvia as his ex. Gray didn't know how Juvia could consider that person, Bora, a good friend or how she could have fallen in love with a man like that.

The conversation that Gray, Natsu, and Loke found themselves in left him speechless. The conversation was so disgusting and perverse.

Bora bragged about every girl who was with him. He described them in a way that Gray and anyone else could only imagine as distasteful. Bora told them what he did to those girls, how they wanted him and his thoughts on them, which were so filthy.

"The girl I'll marry," Bora said as he fixed his purple hair in his reflection on the shiny sink, "She should be amazingly beautiful, but she'll have to be shallow, and stay home to raise our kids."

Bora must have expected an answer, but none of them agreed with this chauvinistic remark. Gray wanted to hit him, but to fight with a close friend of the person who invited them to her home was not a good idea. Gray could barely control his hands and not hit the purple-haired creature with the proud smile.

Gray saw Natsu next to him gritting his teeth and trembling with anger. Natsu had learned from his girlfriend, Lucy, about women's rights and equality. Gray was rather surprised at how caring Natsu had become as soon as he understood the non-equality that Bora was obliviously sputtering about.

Gray moved to Natsu and put a hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him.

"You started, once again, with your pompous bullshit?" A man with long, wild, black hair enters the kitchen, holding a large bowl and plastic cups. He was threatening in every way imaginable. He dressed in black, leather-bound biker clothes. His hands were wrapped in black fingerless gloves that had iron plates on them. His whole face full of piercings and he had no eyebrows; only a row of metal in piercings in place. And under this row of metal embellishments, were blood red eyes.

"Gajeel! Where have you been?" Bora looked at the big guy with fear and dread.

"Don't shit with me. Be useful and take this to the living room!" Gajeel leaned over and almost threw the things at him. Bora caught them and hurried out of the room.

Gajeel looked at them for a moment. He bent down after a moment of thought and took out four glasses of whiskey and a bottle of fine scotch from a cupboard in the counter.

He poured into the glasses and put a drink in front of each of them. He picked up his glass and sipped expertly.

Gray did the same, followed by Natsu and Loke. The thick liquor burned his throat in the familiar heat of alcohol and Gray's stomach turned unpleasantly.

"Everyone needs a hard drink after hearing that pervert talk." Gajeel snarled and poured himself a second glass.

"Long live to that!" Natsu whispered in shock, raising his glass to him, then emptying it.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Loke said and shook Gajeel's hand. The big man nodded and went on drinking, downing his second glass instantly.

"Who else do we expect to arrive?" Loke asked.

"The usual," Gajeel said, and Gray wondered who they were.

"The other elements, Cana, Laki, and the Strauss siblings?" Loke struggled to get information from Gajeel who nodded.

"Friends of the Pervert," Gajeel completed the list.

"Gajeel!" A sugary voice called behind their backs. "I haven't seen you all month!"

Gray turned to see Juvia standing there, the room brightening with her bright smile and her sky-blue hair fell on her back in shapely waves, and her azure eyes framed by black eyeliner. She wore dark blue jeans and a light cerulean strapless top that hugged all her seductive curves. Gray felt his heart racing at an uneven pace and felt his whole body begin to warm up uncontrollably.

Juvia passed the three of them without blinking and hugged Gajeel's waist tightly. The guy seemed to be a bit embarrassed, but he gave out a small smile as he patted awkwardly on her tiny back.

"Oi, rain woman, you don't have to be sensitive."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Gray could barely understand Juvia because her face was crushed into Gajeel's leather jacket.

When Juvia decided she had enough, she turned to look at Gray, Natsu, and Loke, who looked at her in shock.

"Welcome!" She cried excitedly and jumped from Gajeel to them in quick hugs. Before they could say anything, the doorbell rang, and she skipped quickly to open the door.

She was right. It wasn't a party but a meeting between close friends. Gray and Natsu found themselves out of place from the tight group and went out to smoke. Juvia followed them shortly.

Outside, there was the conversation that made him think of Juvia, all the time, every minute of every passing day, but also made him realize he could never be with her.

* * *

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" Juvia asked, with a sweet smile on her lips. Natsu took it as an invitation to start talking and not stop.

"It could be better, we don't know your friends, and you look like a tight group. I don't know how we'll fit in."

If Juvia didn't interrupt the one-sided speech, Gray would go crazy. Not only did Natsu not get his mouth shut, but he also made them look like cowardly wimps in front of Juvia.

"You're right. We're tight; we've known each other for years," Juvia said to the darkness that surrounded them.

Gray took the chance to join in and ask some questions that bothered him.

"How are you friends with Bora?" He tried to say his name without being disgusted but without success.

"I knew him in high school. He helped me overcome the loss of my parents. He was there for me," Juvia said it with such open affection that Gray envied the guy.

"That nasty guy helped you?" Natsu said in shock. From where they sat on the stairs, they could see Bora and his girlfriend doing indecent acts in public without a hint of morality. Fortunately, most of Juvia's friends went to the kitchen as soon as the two started the making out in the living room.

Juvia sighed. "I don't know what happened to him. A few months ago, he started to change, and I tried to talk to him, but he doesn't seem to listen to me." She looked on with sad, painful eyes.

Gray felt his heart crushed by an invisible force. The pain became stronger and stronger until he couldn't control himself.

"Are you still in love with him?" Gray asked and heard his voice cut off from a feeling he couldn't understand.

Juvia looked at him in surprise, a small smile appeared on her face, and within seconds her teeth filled her smile while she stifles a rolling laugh.

"Wow," Juvia said when she could breathe without laughing. "No, I used to be, but we were not fit to be a couple. Now he's just a close friend of mine."

"Ahhh," Gray said stupidly. Natsu decided to change the topic and showed her something from his phone, but Gray wasn't interested. He realized that she had lost her parents too. They were alike. And just like that, all his feelings for her increased.

He watched her talking to Natsu with smile and joy. She looked complete and not broken as he was.

Gray can't woo her. Not because Loke wanted her. Loke wanted every attractive girl, and she was beautiful, both inside and out.

Gray knew that if he went out with her or made her feel something for him, he would break the healthy, safe, and whole person sitting next to him. He couldn't do it, no matter how much his stomach turned over when she was looking at him with her azure eyes, or how much his heart was beating faster when their hands touched by chance.

Gray was not ready for that. He decided, he would only be a good friend to her and he would love her platonically and nothing more.

He returned to the conversation, and they talked a little longer until she said the words 'I love you.' Gray saw in her eyes that Juvia loved him and Natsu in platonic and equal love. He returned the words to her like Natsu, but Gray knew he would have to be careful not to fall in love with her.

* * *

Two months later, Gray knew that all his efforts were in vain. A few days before Juvia pulled him to the side, Loke came and told him that Juvia didn't want him but she wanted Gray.

Gray was shocked. He treated her just as how he does to all his friends...although his instinct was to drape his arm over her shoulders or hug her at length of time.

Gray managed to ignore it in order not to fall in love with her, and so she would not like him. Gray received Loke's blessing, and he threatened him to not break her heart, but Gray knew what he had to do.

He will not be able to live with himself if he breaks her whole person that took her years to rebuild. Now that he knew her well, Gray knew that breaking her heart, but not the soul, was the right thing to do.

Juvia wore a flowered dress and a jacket to warm her. Her furry hat lay beside her as she sat and leaned on a stone wall and waited for Gray to sit next to her.

Gray knew what he had to do, but he wanted to put it off for the last moment.

He looked at her longingly, knowing that this sincere smile would disappear in a few minutes and her glittering bright eyes would sparkle with tears.

The healthy sky-blue hair fell over her shoulders as she moved it to look better at Gray. She wet her full lips with her tongue, and Gray looked at her in shock. Juvia seemed to want to pull him into her and do as she pleased with him, Gray knew he would not mind, but he needs to control himself.

"Gray," she said in a whisper that doubled his heartbeat. She put a hand to her side and motioned him to sit next to her.

He strolled, trying with all his might to extend the shortening seconds.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Gray asked and hoped her courage had evaporated, but her azure eyes told him the truth. Juvia was determined to tell him how she feels and Gray had no way of avoiding it.

Gray sat next to her and looked at her. Juvia took the lead and turned to look him in the eyes. Eyes full of love met troubled eyes. He swallowed hard and tried to calm his heartbeat. The growing nausea in his stomach was a reaction to what he was about to do.

"I was thinking about the time we know each other," Juvia said sincerely. "And I understood what I felt...what I feel for you."

Juvia leaned forward and the sea smell that always accompanied her flooded Gray's senses.

"What do you feel for me?" He asked vaguely as he took in her scent.

"I love you," Juvia whispered as she took another centimeter to approach him.

Her movement sent Gray back to the real world, and he understood what was going on.

Gray moved away from her. He saw her face fall as he stood up.

"Juvia, I don't feel the same way about you. I'm sorry, but you're just a friend to me." Gray lied determinedly, and as he was about to return to their friends, Juvia grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to her.

"I know you don't feel the same way. I'm not dumb. But yeah, okay, let's keep on being friends." Her voice was a strange combination of sorrow and disappointment.

"We're always going to be friends," Gray said, but he knew he'd have to get away from her so she could get over him and so that he will not fall in love with her any further. He knew he'd have to find someone else. Gray lied to her time after time, and she didn't notice it because she thought so little of herself. She didn't see how amazing and beloved she was and how bad he would be for her.

* * *

Those next few months, he started studying in someplace and went out with another girl. She made him forget about Juvia for only just a few minutes, but in the seconds that Gray saw Juvia, the latter made him think of her more than anyone else.

On that dark day, Gray understood his mistake. He lied to her and to everyone so much that he began to believe it, too. After the conversation and Juvia said her goodbye, everything went down to hell-his own private hell without Juvia. He was in his room, and he fell to the floor, on his knees.

"I'm stupid. I'm so stupid and dense," he said as the tears ran down quickly from his eyes.

"Why didn't I tell her the truth?" He hit the floor in despair.

Gray could see in his mind her contagious smile and her happy azure eyes as she whispered his name.

"Why didn't I tell her I fell for her so long ago?!"

Gray began to cry and didn't stop until he collapsed from exhaustion on the cold floor. Before he succumbed to his unconscious, he said the name that spun in his head over and over in the last hours.

"Juvia..."

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? Let me Know!**  


 **I hope you like it, thank you for reading my story!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to update but life got the better of me. I don't own fairy tail which saddens me all the time but blessed Hiro Mashima for creating them for us!**

 **Guest: I know, Gray did realize he was stupid and coward, and I hope this chapter will explain some of the things!**  
 **Speical thank Releina Artemis Rockefeller who helped me with this chapter!**

* * *

 **The Beginning of the End.**

 **Chapter 6**

 **xii.**  
 **A clear day.**

Lyon didn't know what he walked into.

One clear day after a year of bitterness, Gray invited him to (on his own will) to come to a cafe and hang out with Gray's friends. Gray looked happy for the first time in a long while, and Lyon could not refuse him.

Lyon went to this cafe by the ocean, and he admired the view. The sea was brilliant blue, and the waves look like they were painted with a brush. The sun's warmth was welcome, unlike the scorching heat in Magnolia, and the fresh wind made everything even better.

Lyon saw black and pink haired heads block the view and knew the two of them were waiting for him at the back table with a magnificent view. He progressed among the many waiters who carried heavy trays with food and drinks.

In the middle of the way, Lyon saw a girl with light blue hair walking quickly towards the exit—which happened to be where he was. Lyon stopped to let her pass, but she didn't see him and slammed into him, hard. Lyon, on the other hand, barely moved from the hit but she did. The girl landed on the floor with a hard thump. Her big azure eyes looked at him and shone with suppressed tears. Her mouth opened in surprise but closed a second later. She could not, however, suppress the small sob that had escaped her lips.

Lyon was stunned. The fall did not seem particularly painful and yet here she was, in pain, and it was all his fault. Lyon felt terrible. He saw her coming his way, and he didn't move out of it. Lyon thought she would just pass by him, and he would be on his way to the table. Then this happened.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry," Lyon asked as he extended his hand to help her stand up.

The girl didn't look at him while she took his hand. The blue-haired girl didn't answer, and as soon as she was steady on her feet, she was gone.

Lyon hesitated for a second whether to check on the blue-haired girl who looked so sad, or go on his way to meet his brother. He thought about this deeply. Making sure she was okay would only take a few minutes, and Gray could wait. With that, Lyon has decided.

Lyon followed her quickly and got to her at the parking lot.

"Hey, sky woman!" He shouted without thinking.

Her hair reminded him of the sky above them—beautiful, bright, and calm. She turned to face him, and this was the first time he had truly seen her.

' _She's amazingly beautiful_ ,' Lyon thought about the woman standing in front of him. He swallowed the drool that threatened to come out of his mouth.

Her blue hair came on her shoulders in soft waves, her blue eyes sparkling in the kind sunlight.

Despite the lack of makeup on her face, he could imagine how her pale skin and her soft cheeks probably felt under his gentle touch.

She was wearing denim shorts, revealing her long, shapely legs. The white top she wore emphasized her natural curves.

"Were you referring to me?" She said in a weak, broken voice.

Lyon wasn't paying attention to the little details, so he missed them while he examined her earlier. But now that Lyon saw them, he couldn't even begin to describe her, that amazingly beautiful woman was upset.

Her mouth closed in a firm line, and her hand held her bag tightly, but the most striking detail was her eyes. They glittered not only because of the sunlight but also because of the tears that threatened to fall.

Lyon approached her with two strides, "Yes, I'm sorry about earlier."

"What?" She asked in shock.

"The fall, it was my fault. And you're probably about to cry because of me!" He said weakly.

"I wouldn't cry because of you," The kind beauty exclaimed in surprise and Lyon cast a doubtful look.

 _Why would such beautiful woman cry?_

"Really," she said, putting her hand over her heart.

Her eyes showed Lyon sincerity, and he believed her. "I can't think of another reason why a lady like you would cry," he said without meaning to. _Lyon couldn't control his own freaking mouth!_

"A lady like me?" She asked in an amused voice, and the shadow of a smile was almost apparent on her face.

"You know, those fallen angels," he said, embarrassed. Her eyes darkened at his line of thought.

"You mean those who were expelled from heaven?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed sourly.

"No, no, no! I mean…uhmm...a fallen angel because you are too beautiful for heaven!" He said, trying to save himself.

She laughed. Her laugh sounded like pearls falling in a breeze on fresh grass. Soft, pleasant, and unique.

"Juvia Lockser," she introduced herself after clearing her throat.

"Lyon Vastia. Maybe I'm teasing my luck but would you like to keep me company for a cup of coffee?"

Juvia agreed.

While Lyon and Juvia started walking to another coffee shop nearby, Lyon sent Gray a message.

 **Lyon:** Training started.

Gray answered him a minute later.

 **Gray:** Good luck with that.

Over the years, Gray and Lyon have developed a common language about girls. In case someone becomes nosy, they wouldn't be able to understand the true meaning of their messages.

'Knock out' was a problematic break-up. 'First Round' was a fling. 'Second round' was if they brought some girl home and didn't want to be disturbed. 'Game over' was an unimportant break-up. And then, 'Training started' meant that they found someone they wanted a serious relationship with.

Strangers who would see such messages will think that Gray or Lyon were wrestlers or in some competition, but between the two of them and they had complete conversations in two words—like brothers—the brothers they grew up to be.

* * *

Three months later, Lyon was happier than he could ever have imagined. That girl he met that day in the cafe by the ocean made him happy then ever.

He knew it was a relationship he hoped to carry on for a long time if she agreed, of course. Lyon knew it was time to introduce her to his family. He didn't talk about them because he thought it was too complicated. It was too complicated to explain that his parents had died in a car accident and that Ur was in the neighborhood and she was the one who called the ambulance and escorted him to the hospital. After learning about the death of his parents, Ur was there for him and eventually adopted him.

Or it's too complicated to explain about Ultear. She ran away and had been kidnapped and succeeded in escaping and then got jealous of Gray and Lyon, that her Mom adopted them. Ultear messed with all sorts of wrong people until she came back to senses. She had opened up, and now he and Gray had a big, tough sister.

Or Gray, the one who had the worst possible nightmare—his parents were murdered by a psychopath. Gray's father fought him and died, but in that time he managed to buy Gray time to escape, and Gray was saved. Ur was a social worker who was sent to check on Gray, and her heart swelled with love, and she had decided to adopt him as well.

Yes, his family was complicated, and Lyon thought he would tell Juvia after trying to reduce the level of complication by visiting his family with her at first and letting them know her. Otherwise, how could he explain that Ur and Ultear were Milkovich, and Gray was Fullbuster and he, Lyon, was a Vastia, after all? All different surnames but one family!

His head would have exploded thinking about it, and he lives with all these stuff!

Lyon entered their large family house. He didn't live there for almost a year since he moved to an apartment near the university for the convenience of not having to wake up so early in the morning and waste time on long commutes.

Lyon opened the door with his old key and started looking for his siblings or his mother, but he did not find them in their usual spots.

Ultear was not in the wine cellar at the basement 'checking' that everything is in place and nothing is missing. Ur would have been in the garden trying to revive the flowers she had already managed to kill, only to give up again and again before buying new ones. Gray was not in the kitchen looking for a healthy snack before training at the gym and grimacing when he only finds chips and sweets.

Lyon went through the warm and unfashionable living room. Only a blind man would be the designer of this space of mismatched types of furniture. A black leather armchair and blue fabric sofas with a transparent lacquer coffee table at the center. The newest TV in the market was mounted on the wall, and let's not even get started with the ornaments. Despite all of these, this was home for Lyon.

When he found no one, he decided to climb the stairs to the second floor in the hopes of finding someone there. On the way, he stopped and looked at the pictures that were hung on the wall. There was a picture of him at the age of nine (or so) with Gray, eight years old. Lyon smiled enthusiastically at the camera and tried to hug Gray's shoulders, who resisted and had a scowling face. There were many pictures of them and Ultear—almost every moment they had experienced in life—even from their time before Ur. There were pictures of Gray with his parents, and Lyon with his folks.

On the second floor, Lyon moved from the master bedroom and hoped to find Ur there. It was empty, of course, because she isn't using this room except to sleep in it. Lyon advanced to Ultear's room, and when he saw that the door was half open, he already knew she wasn't there and moved on. Ultear always closes the door when she's in the bedroom 'because she needs privacy and she's girl.' Or that's at least how she managed to convince their mother to let her close the door while Gray and Lyon always had to leave their bedroom doors open at least a little so Ur will not suspect them (they did have a garage which no one other than Gray and Lyon were allowed to enter).

Gray's room was wide open. Lyon came in to see if Gray was sleeping in after a long shift, but the bed was neat, and it seemed like he had not slept through the night before. Lyon started to leave the room but didn't notice the pile of books and documents lying on the floor. The closed windows didn't let the light in, and the darkness covered almost the entire room. Lyon felt the scattered pile on the floor and sighed. He switched on the light and began to fix the mess he had caused. The stack consisted of textbooks, worksheets, and photographs. Lyon collected everything until a very familiar blue shade caught his attention. In one of Gray's pictures, Lyon saw Juvia put her head on Natsu's shoulder as she and Gray seemed to be talking with huge smiles on their faces.

The gears in his head all worked out suddenly. The guy Juvia talked about, she called him Gray, but Lyon never thought it could be his brother. After all, he wasn't the only one he knew who had the name, 'Gray.' His brother wouldn't be so stupid to let a girl like Juvia slip through his fingers. But everything worked out perfectly. The time Juvia had told him when she stopped talking to the guy was the same time Gray began acting strangely. Natsu was the friend who had invited her to ambush Gray with surprises as soon as he got out from work. Juvia was the reason why Gray was so happy after so long. Gray wanted Lyon to get to know this girl who he had lost his heart to and Lyon decided just to help him move on instead. Gray was the reason she came out on the verge of tears from that cafe.

Now that Lyon understood everything, he didn't know what to do. He fell in love with her in the three months they spent together. He fell in love with her smile, her laugh, and her voice but what he liked best was her personality. Sweet and kind, but fierce and brave at the same time.

Lyon did not know what he had walked into when he had agreed to meet Gray and his friends at the cafe by the ocean. If he knew, in spite of the complicated and painful situation, he would have entered anyway because he had met Juvia that on that bright, clear day.

* * *

 **xiii.**  
 **An evening of understandings.**

Nine months had passed, and Lyon had prayed every day before bedtime that Gray did not know about him and Juvia, or that Juvia wouldn't find out that he was Gray's brother.

Lyon was not a believer, but these nine months had been different. He hoped everything would go smoothly. He wanted to tell Juvia everything after she moved in with him and then explain to Gray about everything that had happened and hoped they both would forgive him.

Lyon longed to tell her everything about himself but he could not. Everything, every emotion, every story—his family, included. Lyon loved them, and he loved Juvia, too. For nine months, Lyon had promised his family that he would bring his new girlfriend to meet them. For nine months, he got a pat on the back from Gray and a reassuring smile from Ultear. For nine months, Lyon had diverted his and Juvia's conversation from his family to another subject. While he saw that she was hurt, they continued as if nothing had happened. For nine months, he gave his friends kicks from under the table if they mentioned his family. For nine months, he lived a double life. For nine months, Lyon believed he could hold on a little longer before he told everyone everything. For nine months, everything was okay, and Lyon succeeded in his mission.

* * *

He managed to keep a secret from his family and his girlfriend. But two weeks after the anniversary of Juvia and Lyon's relationship, they went out with her friends—her former friends—the ones she missed so much but couldn't see because they reminded her of him, Gray, his brother.

Gray got there, he looked at Lyon, and Lyon saw the cold, calculating look that told him that Gray understood very well what had happened there. Lyon laughed his head off at Gray's poor copy of Juvia, Gray's girlfriend, but the moment he saw Juvia's glowing expression of jealousy, Lyon realized that her feelings for him had not diminished. Gray was still on her mind even though she and Lyon had just celebrated a year together. Gray looked at Juvia, and she shifted uncomfortably after the kiss she and Lyon shared.

Lyon hadn't heard the words Gray and Juvia had exchanged or the introduction to Gray's new girlfriend. Lyon saw her reach for a cigarette box which she hadn't used since the anniversary of her parents' death, and she went outside. Gray got up a second later. He took out his box of cigarettes and walked after Juvia quickly. Lyon rose to follow them, but Natsu blocked his way.

"They need to talk," Natsu said in a stern voice.

Natsu heard about him from Juvia that morning. Natsu, Gray's best friend, who told her that Gray 'might' come. Natsu told her to bring Lyon if she wanted.

"You planned everything, huh?" Lyon said in a dangerous voice.

"As soon as she told me about you, I knew who she was talking about. I can't believe you did this." Natsu said in a cold, hard, low voice.

None of their friends noticed a conversation going on under their noses.

"I didn't know he was the one who broke her heart," Lyon said, but in his mind, he added, 'at first.'

"Do not try to fool me. I saw your expression when Gray came in. You knew."

Lyon swallowed. He usually didn't let people see how they were influencing him. Natsu knew what words to use to hurt him the most.

"He's your brother!" Natsu whispered.

"I know," Lyon whispered back.

That was an evening of understandings.  
 _1\. Lyon betrayed his family, his brother._

 _2\. Lyon lied to his girlfriend, who he loved._

 _3\. Natsu knew everything and was very smart._

 _4\. Juvia still has feelings for Gray._

 _5\. Gray did not stop loving Juvia._

 _6\. Lyon screwed big time._

* * *

After his big fight with Juvia, Lyon parked outside her building, and she gave him a little peck on the lips before she got out of the car. On the way to his apartment, Lyon didn't answer his cellphone that never stopped ringing.

He tried to ignore Gray's calls.

Lyon got out of his car and went up to his apartment. Besides the brown door stood none other than Gray Fullbuster.

"Gray." He started, but Gray silenced him with one hand.

"I am warning you, and I am telling you: I'll take her from you," Gray said very sternly.

"Juvia is my girlfriend, Gray," Lyon said confidently, but deep inside his heart, he was afraid.

"I'm just giving you a warning. I'm telling you, unlike how you never told me." Gray's last sentence dripped with venom.

"You will not succeed," Lyon said calmly and held the doorknob firmly until his hand became white.

"Oh, I will. And I will not even tell her about your lying ass, which was all you were all this time." Gray had a cocky smile and walked down the steps as he whistles happily to himself.

"What about your girlfriend!?" Lyon shouts after him, but Gray didn't turn around or gave the smallest sign that he heard Lyon.

 _7\. Lyon's last understanding of the evening was that he is going to lose Juvia and he will try to do everything to protect what he built with her._

* * *

 **Xiv.**  
 **Fake.**

"You were right. She was there," Gray heard Natsu say from the other end of the line.

"I saw her throw the window and I'm not blind fire breath," Gray said as he fixed papers on his desk. "She has a boyfriend," Natsu told him, and Gray felt his heart sinking. He was sure he had a chance.

"And you will not believe who it is." Gray was silent. He waited for Natsu to continue but he didn't.

"Ice Princess, do you want to know or not?" Natsu teased Gray.

"Do not play with me, Natsu." Gray scolded Natsu through the phone.

"A guy with silver hair, black eyes, about two years older than us, and his name start with 'L'?" Natsu said humorlessly.

"Lyon will not do that to me," Gray whispered, identity right away. He did not believe him. Natsu must have lied to him. It can't be right. Lyon is his brother.

But Lyon didn't know who Juvia was, and he didn't know Gray loved her. If he goes out with her, then he probably doesn't know what happened between them.

"Even if it's Lyon, he doesn't know what happened between us," Gray said and tried to cheer himself up.

"He knows," Natsu said, "Juvia told me she told him everything..."

"I still don't believe you."

"So, come today and see for yourself!" Natsu yelled at him.

Gray thought about it from the moment Natsu sent him a message that Juvia was coming today.

"She will not talk to me," he sighed sadly.

"Yes, she will but only if you will come with your girlfriend," Natsu said slyly.

"I have no girlfriend. No one can match her," Gray said, and the gloom washed over him.

"Ask your secretary to pretend to be your one with the blue hair. Juvia will get annoyed, and you'll talk. You know how sensitive she is, right?"

He had to admit it, Natsu's idea was good.

Juvia always got mad at Gray whenever someone else was next to him, especially if it was another woman. She would then spend the entire evening talking to him about nonsense or not looking at him, and her big blue eyes—even if they sparkled with anger—they were beautiful, and oh, how he missed every expression of hers.

"I'll ask her, and I'll come today," Gray told his friend and ended the call.

Gray picked up his desk phone and pressed a button on the speed dial.

"Luria, can you get in here for a second? Thanks!" And with that, he hung up.

* * *

 **A/N: Did you enjoy this chapter? Feel free to review!**  
 **I'm thinking about giving you a peak to the next chapter, tell me if you will like the idea!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello hello! I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry for the long wait but life sometimes takes a toll on you...**

 **I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL, HIRO MASHIMA DOES.**

 **I want to give a special thank to who help me to edit and double check my grammar.**

* * *

 **The Beginning Of The End**

 **Chapter 7**

 **xv**. **Just another five minutes.**

Juvia woke up after this exhausting weekend early in the morning—too early in the morning, if you asked her. Juvia is one of those annoying morning persons, those who get up with a smile on their face and is happy for another day of activity and work, bustling with energy and all smiles, but definitely not this morning.

The studies took her strength and spirit after she exhausted her long hours into the night as she was memorizing texts and summaries. If that was not enough, Lyon called her every two hours and the conversation dragged for long minutes even though she had things to do. She tried to end the conversation but he didn't let her, and when she asked him if everything was fine, he lied to her again and again and again. Juvia knew he was lying because his voice wasn't as calm as always, but he still wouldn't tell her, and she wasn't one to push unwanted subjects.

Gray, on the other hand, had not sent her a message since the last time they met, and it bothered her for some reason as if something in her life was missing that Gray is the only one who could fill it.

But she had Lyon, the guy she's been dating for more than a year, and Gray was the guy who broke her heart. Logically, it was clear how Juvia should feel for both of them, but it was not that simple; not after she and Gray got back in touch.

The new job was nice and fun until she went home. Compared to the reviews on books that occurred to Juvia smoothly, the reviews on albums were much less easy for her. There were times when she had to hear the same song a few times until she finds something to say about it. (Of which, does not happen a lot; Juvia has criticized almost all everything. Many times, she came up with good reviews, but other times, she also gave some frank but constructive criticism.)

Not to mention that her desperate attempts to connect with a co-worker in her department didn't work. He kept looking at her as if she was not good enough to be there and sometimes; it gets to her and Juvia began to believe it.

Unlike other mornings, Juvia gave herself another five minutes to stay in bed. She remembered the last time it happened, the same day when she started working at 'Noga.'

That day she spoke to Gray for the first time in two years. Maybe that means she'll see him today?

Juvia let that thought out of her mind, or she would've kicked it out. She can't let her thoughts wander back to him all the time. From the moment Juvia saw him, Gray was stuck in her thoughts, with no signs of leaving. The conversation with Natsu didn't help her as he unsubtly insinuated that Gray was what she was missing. But Juvia tried not to think much about it.

 _Maybe he's right._ A small voice whispered in Juvia's head.

No. Juvia mustn't think about him.

Gray has a girlfriend. Luria.

And Juvia, herself, has a fantastic boyfriend. A bit gluey lately, but an equally wonderful boyfriend.

 _He is not 'the one.'_ The little voice was back. _And you know who it is._ The voice teased Juvia.

Five minutes in bed didn't give Juvia the rest she was looking for, or the time to gather strength for the day. It was the contrary, really. Those five minutes sucked all of the energy and goodwill she had in her body. Her mind fooled her. The five minutes had become a nightmare and tangled her thoughts even more.

* * *

 **xvi. Not poison or warmth.**

Gray could not believe it at first. Who would have thought that his (step) brother was dating the girl he was in love with.

Yes, no one would want to cross him now. Not while he was walking down the stairs of his brother's building after Gray had told him he would take Juvia from him. In Gray's mind, Lyon deserves this warning. Lyon needed to know that Gray will still and always want Juvia.

Gray ignored the fact that Lyon had shouted at him on having a 'girlfriend'—the fake one, a girlfriend that he did not truly have. Luria was a good friend who helped him, and he could not thank her enough.

On the way out, they heard Lyon and Juvia fight over him. If Gray was a schmuck, he would say that it pleased him, but he is not one—or at least, he tries not to be one anymore.

After what Juvia had told him in that phone call, Gray thought genuinely about how he behaved. He was friendly to her but not to her friends. Gray was deliberately late, so Juvia wouldn't believe that he wants her. He even he ignored her sometimes. After all of that bullshit, she still saw the good side of him.

In spite of everything, this fantastic girl gave him opportunities one after the other, and Gray scorned her and her feelings until she was too fed up with his attitude. Gray knew she deserved more than him, Juvia deserved the best of men, and Gray wanted to give her the best of him now.

Gray worked and studied and landed an excellent job at one of the most reputable security companies.

He tried to meet her through Natsu, but she never came. Gray began to notice how he was acting and started to change for the better—to think of others first and not himself.

Now that he got safely to his car, he was thinking about Juvia and Lyon's quarrel. Lyon was warmth, and Gray was poison. In her mind, Juvia compared him to something that could kill her from inside.

Gray didn't want to be poison or warmth to her. Lyon didn't see her choice of words, but Gray knew. As a writer, she meant to every word deliberately, even if Juvia didn't control her choice of words that come right out from her mouth. To everything she said, was a reason.

Gray always liked to listen to her talk and to ask about her unusual choice of words. Gray used to smile as Juvia starts to explain the little details in every word.

Warmth was a family for Juvia. She sees Lyon as family. She loves him like family and lies to herself and also to Lyon. She does not love him like the only man in her life.

Gray wants to be the only man in her life. Gray wants to be the one Juvia thinks of as the love of her life.

Gray does not want to be poison or warmth.

He just wants to be her everything just as she is his everything.

* * *

 **xvii. Big mistake.**

Gray arrived at his private parking space at the entrance of his tall office building where he worked. Fairy Tails Ltd. The company's motto was "Only in fairy tales could people break us."

He stopped at his regular coffee shop; his right hand held his briefcase while the left hand straightened his necktie and straightened his bright blazer.

Gray brushed his free hand through his black hair to give it a wilder look and put a sexy smile on his face.

Maybe today he will get a discount on their coffee and pastry if any of the baristas who have a crush on him were on duty now.

Gray entered the corner cafe and went to the bar. He looked for the barista in charge, but what he found surprised him even more.

Juvia sat on a side corner outside, with two glasses of espresso in front of her and a third in her hand while she worked frantically on her laptop.

She looked amazing like always.

Juvia was wearing elegant red-striped palazzo pants and a sleeveless black button shirt. Two of the shirt buttons were undone and showed her respectable cleavage.

The blue hair, like the bright sky of the day, is arranged into a loose bun and a few locks framed her face. But what amazed him most was the fact that she didn't put on any makeup today except for a delicate gloss that made her full lips shine.

Her porcelain skin was introduced to show in its natural form and shone in health.

The blue eyes looked exactly like the ocean sparkled in the sunlight as she looked at her computer.

Her eyes were the window to her soul. Calm and quiet as the ocean, but could also be stormy and frightening, mysterious and safe, fun and sad. She was everything, and he wanted her.

"Mr. Fullbuster," a seductive voice came to his ear and took him out of the trance he had entered while he was studying Juvia.

Gray looked away and saw the same barista who he previously had hoped to be here, but now he didn't want anything from her.

The barista, Milly, looked at him with a seductive smile and a big neckline that grew bigger and bigger as she leaned against the counter.

"Milly, what's up?" He said in an indifferent voice—not the flirtatious voice she had grown used to.

"Everything okay, Gray?" Milly asked him worriedly and put a hand on Gray's arm, Gray leaped aside and stated coldly.

"I'll appreciate it if you don't touch me anymore."

He glared at her and walked toward Juvia's table.

Gray knew he was a jerk to Milly, but he could not let Juvia see him flirting for coffee and pastry as she thought he had a girlfriend.

"A busy morning, eh?" He said amusedly and sat down on the other side of Juvia's small table.

"Oh?" It was Juvia's first reaction before she looked up at him.

Juvia looked at him in confusion until the understanding reached her.

"Gray, what are you doing here?" She asked with trembling hands.

"I come here every morning," he said casually.

"Uhh... okay?" Juvia said before she went back to work.

"How many espresso shots did you have?" Gray asked and tried to make conversation with the woman in front of him.

"Um, I think I'm on my fourth or fifth," Juvia said without care, her right eye started moving in small tics.

"Right, I think it's time to stop the caffeine," Gray said, holding out his hand to take the glass that Juvia held that somehow survived her hand's tremors.

She handed him the glass unwillingly. Gray put the glass gently on the table.

"How long have you been here?" He asked curiously.

"About two hours," Juvia looked back at her computer. Gray's curiosity raised, it was 8:10 now, and the cafe opened at 7 AM, of which was only an hour and ten minutes ago. His question was how could she have been here for two hours already. The place hasn't been open for two hours.

As if she knew what was going on in his head. Juvia replied, "I arrived here at about 6:30, and I could not go to work without finishing my reviews, and in any case, I only have to be there by 9, so I thought I would sit at a coffee shop, but each one near the office was closed. So I sat in the only open porch with an electrical outlet."

Gray laughed. How early does she need to wake up to be here by 6:30 AM?

"I understand you did not sleep well." He said after he had calmed down.

"I did not really sleep at all this weekend, too much to do." She sighed and looked at him with tired eyes.

"Take a little break, sit with me for coffee, for ten minutes. Then get back to your work fresh and focused," he offered her as a waitress put his regular coffee and pastry in front of him.

"You're right." Juvia closed the laptop and looked at him.

There was a pause for a few moments before Juvia asked him, "How's it going with Luria? She looks nice." She said evenly, but Gray could hear the jealousy she was trying to conceal.

He took a sip to hide his big smile.

"I have to tell you the truth," He began to look at his knees but directed his eyes back to her.

Juvia snorted unbelievably.

"I should have known," she said, laughing out loud.

"What do you know?" He asked, confused.

"You didn't really go out with her, that's why our friends were confused and did not know Luria, and she tried to act like you were a couple, but you were more preoccupied with staring at Lyon and me... The real question is... if she knew you were not really dating her or were you playing with her?" Juvia showed him how intelligent she was, and he was impressed. As always.

"Luria knew, I'm not that bad," he scolded her but felt like he scolded himself.

Juvia looked on defiantly, "Do not be so sure of yourself," she replied in the same tone.

Gray sighed and whispered, "I've changed, I'm not the same Gray from two years ago."

"I'll see it to believe it," Juvia said stiffly, but her eyes softened.

"That's all for you, you know." Gray could not stop himself from talking.

"Gray... don't do that," She looked sideways awkwardly, "I'm with Lyon." She whispered.

"He's not the one for you, and you know that," Gary said with full confidence.

He knew that no one else is right for him and it only can be for both sides. It has to be the same for Juvia, even if she denied it.

Juvia was going to say something, but Gray interrupted her.

"I know what my mistake was, and I know what a mistake Lyon will have." He took a deep breath before he went on. He saw her confused expression when he mentioned Lyon.

"My biggest mistake was not telling you how I feel about you. As soon as you give me a second chance, I will prove to you that I have learned from my mistakes. I won't lie to you anymore. I promise." Gray said sincerely.

Juvia smiled at him for the first time today, the smile was sarcastic, but he also saw something real and sincere in it.

"I'll give you a second chance? Sure of yourself, huh?" She snickered.

"Always," He smiled at her over his cup. After ten minutes, she went back to her work, and Gray paid for both of them before he left. Juvia did not even notice he was gone. She was absorbed in the world of writing.

Milly stood behind the counter while he waited for his change.

"She's why you kept turning me down for dates," she whispered so no one would hear.

"How do you know?" He asked stunned. How could she recognize his feelings for Juvia so quickly?

"You never laughed or smiled at me like that. She is special, isn't she?" Her voice was sad but understanding.

"You don't know how special she is," Gray said softly and added to himself, "When Lyon makes his biggest mistake, I'll be the one to pick up the pieces, and this time I will not let her go."

He left a large tip and left the cafe more satisfied and happier than ever.

* * *

 **xviii. Footsteps.**

Lyon waited patiently outside the massive, scorched door of the apartment number 14. It had been almost two weeks since he last saw Juvia. Even their long phone conversations had not helped him to forget what Gray had told him a few weeks back. Lyon didn't want to think of it as a threat. If he treated it as a threat, he would've given Gray power over him, and that was out of the question.

The holiday atmosphere was felt even inside the building. The corridor was aligned with Christmas lights, and fake pine trees stood near each door. Also, the stairs smelled like gingerbread. The 'happy holidays' greeting was on the doorstep and the cheers of the holiday filled Lyon with joy.

The reason Lyon and Juvia did not see each other was because last week, Juvia got sick and couldn't see him. Work and studies ebbed away her strength, even if she's at the top and healthy, she's still tired of everything she needs to do. Lyon was not surprised that Juvia had called him with a weak, fragile voice after everything she went through the same week. He remembered the conversation as if it had happened yesterday.

 _Lyon sat at a dinner/late lunch with his family in the same old restaurant they ate every month in the past eight years or so. Ultear and Ur had quietly chatted with each other about a close friend of Ultear who had been in some kind of trouble while Lyon and Gray sent each other death glances from either side of the table (or instead Gray had given him unexplained glimpses that Lyon considered them to be deathly)._

 _Lyon didn't feel at ease as he noticed how joyful Gray looked recently (or more specifically, since he and Juvia renewed the friendship). His smile was not fake, and the sullen expression decreased, and there were times when you looked at him you could assume that Gray was a jovial kind of guy._

 _Gray gave Lyon a teasing smile. Lyon knew precisely what he meant. Juvia._

 _It always starts and ends with Juvia these days._

 _"You haven't told her yet?" Gray spoke and suddenly was behind him. Lyon was so deep in his thoughts and that he lost his hold on the present._

 _Lyon let out a dark growl from his throat._

 _"Hey, you do not have to be like that." Gray defended himself and Lyon sent him a dirty look._

 _"Listen," Gray started and tried to keep his expression gentle and not harsh. "I am not trying to steal your girlfriend. I..." Gray found it difficult to express his feelings out in the open as always, "I was hurt, you know? You knew what happened between Juvia and m—"_

 _Lyon tried to interrupt Gray to tell him he didn't actually know, but Gray moved his hands impatiently, and the sad expression returned to his face._

 _"Even if you didn't know exactly how I felt about her, you still needed to talk to me and not hide the fact that you are dating her."_

 _"I know Gray, but I was afraid she would leave me... And I didn't know how to react.. Gray, I am—" Lyon stopped and could not get the words out of his mouth. He could not tell him how sorry he was about the situation._

 _Gray relaxed and laughed gently._

 _"I know, but you have to tell her. If she finds out and it's not from you, your relationship will be over, and I cannot pretend I don't know you; I will not lie to her again."_

 _"Would you not be better off if this relationship ended?" Lyon questioned the reason Gray decided to give him advice in a relationship he didn't support from the moment he discovered it._

 _"Even though I love her and I want to be with her, I will never hurt her on purpose. Because if she hurts again because of me, I don't know if my heart can bear to see her miserable again." Gray put his hand on his heart and grabbed his shirt without notice. The expression on his face looked so sincere and painful that Lyon did not doubt that Gray really loved Juvia with all his heart._

 _At that moment his cellphone rang, and Juvia's picture from their fifth date appeared on the screen. She was wearing a helmet and shields, all her hair was disheveled in every direction, but her smile was radiant. She looked happy, and that's what Lyon always wanted her to be._

 _"Hey love," Lyon said into his phone, he expected to hear a giggle on the other side and not a bitter cough._

 _After a cough ended, Lyon began to be worried._

 _"Hey, Lyon," Juvia said in a weak voice. This was not the usual way Juvia greeted him, on a cellphone or not._

 _"Are you okay?" He asked, and the concern was evident in his voice._

 _"Not at my peak." She laughed in a sick, tired voice. She sighed morosely, "I can't see you today,"_

 _"Do not worry about it, love, just feel better," Lyon said fondly._

 _And added playfully, "You want some homemade chicken soup?" Juvia knew he couldn't cook to save himself._

 _Juvia laughed wholeheartedly but was cut in the middle by loud coughing. After the sudden coughing attack soothed, Juvia responded with amusement._

 _"Why? Do you need another visit from the firemen? Emily also makes soup and takes good care of me." Her voice became hoarse, and Lyon knew she was making an effort to continue the chat with him._

 _"It's been a long time since they last were at my place, maybe I could invite them for coffee... Juvia you should rest, let me know if you need help or anything else." Lyon wanted to end the conversation in her favor._

 _Lyon also saw Gray's eyebrows shriveled with worry (who was standing close to him) as Juvia coughed. Lyon wanted to end the conversation for their good, for all three of them. He couldn't stand the difficulty Gray's worried look had left him in. He was afraid and concerned about everything that happened._

 _"Okay. Bye Lyon." Juvia said softly and hung up._

 _Gray asked him wordlessly if she was all right and all Lyon could do was shake his head. Juvia wasn't all right and so is their relationship._

After three days, Juvia returned to work and she studied energetically, trying to complete all that she had missed during her illness, and that left Lyon little time to talk to her, not to mention see her during this week.

Today, Juvia told Lyon that she was free in the evening because she had finished all the things she had to do earlier than she had expected. Lyon saw this as an opportunity to surprise her. He replied that he couldn't meet her tonight but had booked them a table at her favorite restaurant, "The Cerulean Wave". Hours later, Lyon stood there by the door patiently waiting for his girlfriend with a quality suit and a long-stemmed rose in his hand.

It was not long before Lyon heard footsteps coming from the marble steps. He hid the rose behind him just in case it was Juvia. The sounds of footsteps sounded like more than one person, some were heavy and some light, with rhythm in them. Lyon heard the laughter of a man and was sure it was not Juvia.

The first thing he saw was a man with black hair walking backward while he was talking to a couple of people, a man, and a woman. The woman tugged forward the man next to her. As the group approached Lyon, he recognized two of them with great surprise. The man who walked back was none other than his brother, Gray, and the woman who pulled the other man, who was tall, blonde, and probably very lazy, trailed behind Juvia with a shuffle.

Her blue hair shimmered in the bright Christmas lights, and her smile was beaming at them. Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and Lyon felt a pang of envy that it was not him who made her happy.

Juvia's eyes looked up at the door as she turned the blond man, seemed to try to encourage him on with the long, jerking march toward her apartment. The second Juvia saw Lyon; she stopped in surprise. The smile dropped from her face, but a second after, she waved at him enthusiastically and the smile returned with full force before her, but something seems wrong, but Lyon couldn't put the finger on it. Gray turned to see what had caused Juvia to act like that. Gray's black eyes looked at Lyon's black eyes and carried a clear message like the heavy sky outside that looms over the incoming storm:

 _"You should tell her or I will. I'm not lying to her again."_

Lyon swallowed hard. He looked at Juvia and put a fake smile on his face.

Gray motioned something to the blonde man to stop him from walking a step closer (not that he resisted) and whispered something in Juvia's ear. She gave in and smiled at him. Juvia began to walk toward Lyon with a smile still glued to her face.

Lyon pulled her to him and kissed her hopelessly the moment she was in a reaching distance. Juvia opened her mouth in a surprise of the force of the kiss, and Lyon took a full opportunity and deepened the kiss further. The rose had long been forgotten and fell to the floor without any sound.

Juvia's hands quickly climbed up his neck pulling him closer to her. Juvia's lips kissed him back, but Lyon felt that something had changed in her kisses. Lyon separated himself from her and placed his forehead on hers. He took his time and breathed deeply trying to control his thoughts and breathing.

Juvia looked at him, however this time, unlike the others, she was not dizzy from the kiss but somewhat more focused than ever.

"What happened, Lyon?" She asked in a low, frightened voice.

"Promise me you will not hate me," Lyon whispered helplessly, eager to be sure that it would not be the end of them, despite the knowledge that this was probably going to be it.

"Why should I hate you?" Juvia withdrew her hands from his neck and stroked his arm affectionately. Lyon felt the warmth emanating from her, reaching deep into his heart, giving him the strength to speak.

Lyon took a deep breath and looked straight into her azure eyes.

"I am Gray Fullbuster's older brother. We grew up in the same house after we both became orphans."

Juvia was surprised and hurt, but did not look angry.

"Okay. Why are you telling me that now?" She questioned, and her hands began to leave him, the heat was taken from him cruelly.

"Because it took me too long to tell you that..." he said and saw the azure eyes of the ocean darken with anger, "a few months ago I discovered a picture of the both of you and I put all your stories together. I decided to hide it from you so that you would not break up with me. I thought you would not love me because I was close to him." Lyon said in a shaky voice.

Her eyes began to water, but the tears didn't spill out. Juvia folded her arms in front of her chest defensively and took a step away from him.

"I saw him walking into your life again, and I realized that I had to tell you the truth. That evening at the bar, I understood the mistake I made in hiding this piece of information from you and how it was endangering our whole relationship. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, and I hope you can forgive me," Lyon said frankly and regretfully.

"You...you knew for months? You lied to me? You let me cry while I told you about your brother?!" Juvia spoke painfully, despite the weak, broken voice she had used, for Lyon, it was worse than her shouting.

Now the tears dropped from her eyes without restraint. The eyes that were happy a few minutes ago were now broken beyond all imagination, just because of him.

"How long did you know? That night happened a few weeks ago, why are you telling me this now, in a corridor?!" Juvia demanded to know. Lyon had not yet broken their eyes' connection.

"For nine months or so," Lyon said in a voice that was less than a whisper, "Gray told me that if I didn't tell you about this, he will. Gray didn't want to keep secrets from you, he didn't want to lie to you, and I could not pretend anymore."

Juvia's hand came to her mouth in surprise as she looked at Gray and the other guy, Gray did not look away from them while talking to the blonde fellow beside him.

"Nine months," Juvia scoffed, "nine months! And you didn't tell your brother about me, either! Were you so afraid that it's I'll run to him? Is that how little you trust me?"

Juvia's gaze returned to him, "I do not hate you, but you hid this truth for the most part of our relationship... and I felt that you hid this truth because you were being selfish and you thought little of me if I realized that you and him are brothers. I feel so betrayed. I don't think I can trust you anymore, Lyon."

Juvia heaved a deep breath as if trying to stop herself from shouting.

"Recognizing Gray's presence is what made you confess. Without him, who knows how much time would have taken you to tell me? For a while, you would lie to me in the face, maybe all of our lives. Now I know why you keep avoiding discussions about your family. You of all people know what I've been through and trust has always been the most important to me. I'm sorry Lyon, but it's over between us."

Desperation and sadness controlled Lyon's actions. Lyon grabbed Juvia by her wrist and pulled her to him forcibly.

"Please, do not do that, Juvia, I love you." He pleaded, feeling like he was falling from a fast airplane without any parachutes to break his fall.

"It's not just that, Lyon. You're not the only one who lied in this relationship," she muttered, barely letting the word escape from her lips. The weight she carried with her, slowly lifting.

"I lied when I told you that I loved you more than anyone else in the world. I love you, but as a family, not like the love you have for me. I had hoped, that if you were truly secure in your love in me, that one day, I will be able to tell you that I loved you more than anyone else in the world and actually mean it. Now I realized that if the love you had for me was insecure, how could I even hold on to it and actually believe that it'll be the solid ground I'll always be able to rely on? I now know where my heart belongs, and where it had always belonged." Juvia said, and the tears came down from Lyon's eyes, too.

"It's Gray, isn't it?" Lyon said and strengthened his hold. After this impulsive decision, Lyon decided that he could not be close to her and pushed her away.

Juvia fell from being shoved, surprised. Gray ran to her. He helped her up and stood between them while Lyon began to tremble with rage.

"See that?! I knew I was right not to tell you. You'd probably have cheated on me if you knew we were brothers! All this time, I wasn't truly in your heart. I was so foolish, so hopeless to believe that your love for me was real. So, you only used me to feel a kind of reciprocation, huh? Something that you craved from him bet you never got. How pathetic." Lyon tried to push Gray aside, but he stood firm in his place and shielded Juvia from his brother's wrath.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gray barked.

Juvia looked startled, hurt, saddened, and regretful. All these emotions didn't suit her and Lyon pained seeing her like that, but his want to hurt her more overtook all his thoughts.

"I hope you have a good life together because you both destroy all those around you." Lyon spat the sentence venomously and fidgeted in the direction of the staircase, stepping deliberately on the red rose he bought for her, its once beautiful bloom never to be known again.

Lyon knew he had to concentrate on his footsteps, to get far away from the couple who did nothing but break all those around them. Step by step, Lyon reached his car and drove to the nearest bar to drown his grief and pain and perhaps, even his broken heart.

* * *

 **In the next chapter:**

 **Pink. So much pink.**

He drank glass after glass of alcohol. The whiskey was already part of his blood.

The glasses seemed to come from nowhere, but as soon as Lyon looked up after the sixth or seventh drink, he saw the color pink.

A lot of pink.

Some people say that through red eyes you see a pink world, but Lyon had red eyes from the tears that didn't stop and he didn't want to see a pink world after the breakup he just went through. However, the pink did not want to leave him. It turned back and forth, left and right.

Finally, the pink stopped next to him, and he heard a woman's voice speaking to him.

"Well... keep pumping whiskey, or give up?" The pink-haired girl joked on him. Lyon raised his head in confusion.

"I do not give up, never," he said, but it sounded more like "Ai dnt gavu-up, nahem."

Lyon felt nauseous, and something is going up in his throat. He turned around quickly and uncontrollably vomited in the middle of the place, wherever he was.

"Oh boy, Jessie will be so angry that he must clean that mess." The female voice sighs.

* * *

 **A/N** **Hope you like it! Feel free to leave any review :)**


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